Welcome Back to the Family
by A Thousand Undiscovered Stars
Summary: Lorelai Gilmore and Sarah Braverman are twins, but didn't grow up together. Lorelai was kidnapped the day she was born and abandoned on the Gilmores doorstep soon after, but was never told that she was adopted. The Bravermans searched for Lorelai for 32 years before they finally found her. Now, they just want to be a part of her life. AU. Lorelai/Sarah-centric. Complete.
1. Meeting Lorelai

_Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls or Parenthood, although if I did I would be the happiest person in the world…_

_Summary: In this story Lorelai Gilmore and Sarah Braverman are twins. Lorelai was kidnapped the day she was born and two months later was abandoned on the doorstep of Emily and Richard Gilmore who quickly adopted her. The Bravermans all knew about Sarah's lost twin but she had never been found, or even named because the pain was too much for Camille who refused to name her daughter until she was brought back. The Gilmore's never told Lorelai that she was adopted. Also, the Independence Inn already burned down and Lorelai and Sookie opened the Dragonfly Inn six months ago. Rory does attend Chilton, but the story takes place in mid-June. This story is set in Season 1 of Gilmore Girls and before Season 1 of Parenthood._

_Character Ages: Lorelai - 32, Rory -16, Christopher – 33, Sarah – 32, Amber – 13, Drew – 11, Adam – 34, Kristina – 33, Haddie – 12, Max – 7, Crosby – 29, Julia – 27, Joel -28, Camille – 53, Zeek – 55, Emily – 54, Richard – 54_

_A/N: Okay, so I think that this version of the story will work much better and will not be quite so Out of Character for some of the characters. Hope you like it! Read, Revel, and Review please! :D_

_**Chapter One: Meeting Lorelai**_

_Sarah couldn't believe it. All her life, she had known that she had a twin. Unfortunately, her twin had been kidnapped on March 16, 32 years ago, on the day that they were born. As she grew up, she gradually grew less and less optimistic about her chances of ever meeting her long lost sister. As Sarah, and presumably her unnamed twin, grew older, the police regularly called for updated pictures of her. They wouldn't be an exact match, but they were nearly-identical twins and would be close enough to be recognizable. They had never received any news – until two weeks ago. The police had called, saying that an officer in Hartford, who had seen one of the recent pictures of Sarah, reported that they had seen someone who was almost an exact match for the picture. The Hartford PD did some research and they found her – Lorelai Victoria Gilmore._

_The entire family was shocked when they received the call. They couldn't believe it. There were tears, hugs, and laughter all around – a real Braverman celebration. The police gave them her phone number, her address, and her picture. They also offered to contact her and let her know about her birth family, but the Bravermans quickly declined their offer, wanting to tell her themselves and in person. They wanted to leave as quickly as possible, but the best that they could do was a flight two weeks later – and here they were, somewhere high off the ground on their way to Hartford Airport and then to a little town called Stars Hollow, to Lorelai._

* * *

_They were close to landing when Sarah finally spoke. She hadn't said a word for the entire trip, until now._

_"What do think she's like?" Sarah asked her mother, Camille, nervously; and Camille smiled at her._

_"I don't know," she answered honestly, more than a little curious as to the answer to that question herself._

_At her mother's words, Sarah began to fret. "That's just it. We don't really know anything about her and she knows nothing about us. What if she doesn't like us? What if…" she trailed off worriedly. "What if she doesn't like me?" she asked softly, fear evident in her eyes though she forced her voice to remain calm._

_Camille's face softened at her daughter's words. "It's true. We don't know what kind of life she's led, and she doesn't know us. But – we've waited for 32 years to be a part of her life. We're not letting her go again," she promised, squeezing her daughter's hand._

_Just then, they felt the plane touch down on the runway and Sarah felt renewed confidence and excitement run through her veins. She was going to meet the twin she'd always known she had, but that she had never laid eyes on._

* * *

_After landing, grabbing their bags, and getting rental cars from the airport, they found a small café where they could get some breakfast (and, of course, coffee) and asked one of the people working there if they knew of a place to stay in Stars Hollow. The young woman answered immediately, telling them that the Dragonfly Inn was right on the outskirts of the small town and that they couldn't miss it. The Bravermans quickly thanked her before rushing out the door, eager to resume their journey and make the quick 30-minute drive to Stars Hollow._

_For the entire car ride, all that Sarah could think was: **Oh, god, what if she doesn't like me? What's she like? Will she like the same things I like? Does she have kids? Is she married? Has she lived here her whole life? What happened to her after she was kidnapped? Oh, god, I hope she likes me…**_

_Before she knew, they had arrived at the charming little inn. It really was beautiful. There were apple trees, white picket fences, and a barn with two horses that they could see stabled inside. It was, quite simply, something out of a fairytale._

_"It's beautiful," Julia said softly and for once Sarah completely agreed with her sister. Everyone stood, just taking in the scene for a moment before they remembered their purpose in coming here in the first place and quickly grabbed their luggage out of the trunks of the cars and went inside._

_As soon as they were indoors two young men who they assumed were bell hops helped them set down their luggage and told them that they would wait for them until they checked in. Camille smiled at their hospitality and made her way over to the reception area to speak to the concierge about getting checked in._

_"Excuse me, we'd like to see about checking into a few of your rooms, if at all possible," Camille said politely and the man looked up from the magazine he was flipping through, looking bored._

_"How nice for you," he said sarcastically in a heavy French accent._

_"I'm sorry?" Camille asked, raising her eyebrows at the man's attitude._

_"Yes, well… Ah, it's time for my ten," he said before walking off. They heard him shout someone's name while they just stood there looking at each other in confusion._

_Before they turned back to the reception desk, they heard quick footsteps coming to a stop where the surly Frenchman had stood before, followed by an even quicker voice._

_"I'm so, so sorry. That's just Michel, and well… he's French. I'm so sorry for whatever he said to you, and I don't doubt that it was bad, so why don't I just get you all checked in and you can come downstairs later tonight for a complimentary dinner. Our chef, Sookie, would be glad to make you anything you like any time of day or night, not just for dinner," she said quickly, although somehow managing to articulate each word fluidly and flawlessly, and they turned to face her – and just stared in silent shock._

_"Oh, I'm Lorelai," she added quickly, oblivious to their stares for a moment as she typed something in on the computer before looking up. "What is it?" she asked, looking surprised, and tilted her head questioningly. But they couldn't answer her. She was about to speak again, no doubt confused as to why they were staring at her so intensely and so openly. However, at the sound of Sarah's gasp she turned to face her and her mouth dropped in shock as she stared at someone who, except for a few dissimilarities, could have been her doppelganger. Little did she know that it was actually her twin._

_"Who – Who are you?" she stammered after a moment of silent shock on everyone's part. But Sarah couldn't answer her. All she could do was say one word – a word that she had waited a lifetime to say._

_"Lorelai…" Sarah murmured softly, and she felt it. That one thing that had always been missing before – this: her sister, her twin. She felt… complete. And she could tell that Lorelai felt the same way by the wondering smile that began to spread across her features._

_"Lorelai," she repeated confidently, an almost exact replica of her sister's smile creeping across her face as she locked eyes with the one person she had never thought that she would ever meet._

_**To Be Continued.**_

_**A/N: Okay, I feel much better about this story. :D It was much easier to write and find a good flow and rhythm with this version. I hope you guys liked it! New chapter should be up within the next 24 hours (starting at 3:00 AM Central Standard Time). Leave me a review and let me know what you think and how feel so far about the new direction I decided on for the story! Suggestions, Constructive Criticism, and Questions welcome! :D**_


	2. Wow

_Disclaimer: All I own is all of the seasons of both shows on DVD…_

_A/N: Hey, guys! As promised, here is the new chapter! I hope you like it! :D_

_**Chapter Two: Wow**_

_Lorelai couldn't believe it. She had come to the front desk expecting to apologize for Michel's behavior and get the guests checked in. What she didn't expect to do is come face to face with a woman who, except for a few differences, looked exactly like her._

_"Lorelai…" the woman murmured, after Lorelai forced herself to ask her who she was, and Lorelai felt a smile creeping across her face._

_She didn't know why, but when this woman who looked insanely like her said her name, she felt… whole. Complete. It felt so right that there should have been angels singing in the background._

_"Lorelai," the woman repeated, with an answering smile, and she suddenly snapped out of her daze. She was still holding onto wondering, but she had also moved on to curiosity and confusion._

_"No, that's my name. I wanted to know what **your** name is," Lorelai quipped, with a small smirk, and Sarah grinned at her although she didn't answer._

_"Hi, I'm Camille. We'll explain everything to you, but do you think that we could go somewhere a little more private?" the blond-haired woman, Camille apparently, that she had been speaking to before asked quietly, with unshed tears in her eyes._

_"Of course. We can go in the library and shut the doors," Lorelai responded quickly, turning and leading them into the Dragonfly's library and shutting the doors before turning to face Camille and glancing quickly at the woman who looked so much like her._

_Camille took a deep breath before starting. "Well, first of all, this is my daughter, Sarah," she began, pointing to Lorelai's current object of scrutiny._

_"Hi," Sarah said softly and Lorelai smiled at her before turning back to Camille._

_"I'd like to tell you a story. On the day that Sarah was born, her twin sister was kidnapped. We never even got a chance to name her before she was gone. We never knew what happened to her. She just disappeared. The police keep updated pictures of Sarah posted around the country in case anyone ever saw her sister. We've never gotten any news of her. We were convinced that we would never see her again. But, two weeks ago today, we got a call from a police officer saying that she had been found. So, we came from our home in Berkeley, California to meet her," Camille said quietly, looking at Lorelai with a deeper meaning in her eyes._

_Lorelai could see the different emotions in the older woman's eyes: happiness, excitement, worry, and, most of all, love. And she didn't understand it, although she had a sinking feeling in her stomach that told her she knew exactly why. She just didn't want to admit it. Camille was looking at her like she was someone very dear to her, like she was family; like… like a mother would look at the daughter that she had only seen once in her life. Lorelai gasped silently, her eyes wide with shock and denial._

_"Sarah and her twin were born on March 16, 1968. Sweetie… you're her twin," Camille said gently, a few stray tears running down her face._

_Lorelai shook her head once or twice, to clear it. She couldn't believe it. It wasn't possible. Besides, she wasn't adopted, was she? Despite her internal panic, she couldn't help but feel a rush of warmth for these people. They were her family, her **real** family._

_Before Lorelai could speak (although, for once in her life she had absolutely no idea what to say), Sookie knocked quickly on the door before entering at Lorelai's answering call to come in._

_"I'm sorry to interrupt, but, Lorelai, Rory just called. She said that if you didn't hurry you were going to be late to Friday Night Dinner," Sookie said in a rush, and Lorelai shook herself out of her stupor. There was no way that she could miss Friday Night Dinner._

_"Oh, that's right. I totally forgot. Thanks, Sook," she said quickly, and Sookie headed back to the kitchen. "I'm sorry to leave so quickly, but I really have to go. But, uh, I really **have** to go," she apologized rapidly, secretly relieved that she would have a little while to adjust to this news._

_"That's fine. We'll be here," Camille promised, as the group followed her back to the reception area where Lorelai quickly scribbled a quick note for Michel and grabbed her coat off of its hook._

_"Okay, um, here. Just give this to Michel, the sullen Frenchman, when he comes back and he'll finish getting you checked in," she said, handing the note to Camille and walking to the door after a quick goodbye on both sides. She stopped as she reached it, though. "Oh, and don't worry about paying. It's on the house," she said with a small smile._

_They appeared confused. "But, won't the owner be upset?" Camille asked, confused, and Lorelai smirked._

_"Somehow I don't think so, but, here, you can have her card," Lorelai said, reaching into her purse and pulling out a business card that read:_

_**Lorelai Gilmore**_

_Owner_

_The Dragonfly Inn_

_860-438-9761_

_lorelaigilmore_

_After Camille and the rest of the adults looked up from reading the card, surprised, Lorelai gave a small grin and a short laugh. "I'll be here tomorrow; we can talk then," she said with another small smile, and walked out to her Jeep._

_**Well, this is certainly shaping up to be an interesting night…** Lorelai thought to herself. **A very interesting night, indeed.**_

* * *

_"Rory!" Lorelai yelled, entering her house and pulling off her shoes before running upstairs to change for dinner._

_"What?" Rory called back, from downstairs._

_"I have news! Major, life-changing news!" Lorelai yelled, quickly stripping off what she was wearing and replacing it with a sleek black dress and an appropriate pair of heels before rushing back downstairs to grab her black coat off of the couch._

_"What news?" her daughter asked, confused as to what life-changing news her mother could have possibly gotten between this a few hours ago, when she saw her at Luke's, and now._

_"No time. I'll tell you on the way. Let's go!" she called out as they rushed outside and into the car._

_Once they were on the road, Rory repeated her question and Lorelai took a deep breath before answering her. "Rory… I was adopted," she said hesitantly, the words feeling foreign on her tongue. After seeing her sister, her twin no less, she had no doubt that what Camille told her was true; but she still couldn't quite believe it._

_Rory just sat there for a moment, stunned. "What?" she asked, and Lorelai launched into her story, leaving nothing out, until she was finished a few minutes later._

_"Rory?" Lorelai asked, glancing at her daughter and seeing a mirror image of her own feelings on her daughter's face._

_"Wow," her daughter said._

_"Yeah," she agreed._

_"You were kidnapped, abandoned, adopted, and you have a nearly-identical twin," Rory said, in that same shocked tone of voice._

_"I know," Lorelai said, still feeling slightly overwhelmed by it herself. Oh, who was she kidding, she was a **lot** overwhelmed._

_"Wow," was Rory's only comment. And, really, there was nothing else to say; so they both just sat quietly for the rest of the drive, contemplating all of the meanings and minutia of this new discovery._

* * *

_By the time they reached the Gilmores, Rory was feeling more at peace and was excited to meet these new family members of hers. Lorelai, on the other hand, had moved on from overwhelmed to angry. Her mother, or should she say Emily, had never told her that she was adopted. Lorelai had no doubt that, if it was up to her, Lorelai never would have met her real family or even known they existed!_

_Once they got out of the car and started walking quickly to the front door, Rory looked over and saw the look on her mom's face. It was a look that knew all too well from her mother and grandmother's many fights and arguments over the years. "Mom," she said quickly, wanting to prevent an argument from breaking out tonight._

_"Rory, please, don't. This is something that I need to do," Lorelai said firmly, and Rory knew that it was true and dropped it. This was just something that Lorelai needed to do._

_"Hi, we're the daughter and the granddaughter. Well, the **adopted** daughter and granddaughter," Lorelai said to yet another new maid as the door opened and they stepped inside, removing their coats before heading into the living room._

_"Rory, Lorelai, what can I get you to drink?" Richard asked, greeting them and going to the drink cart and fixing the girls' drinks once they told him what they wanted._

_Lorelai sat, simmering, until her "mother" entered the room at which point she set down her empty glass and stood to face her._

_"Lorelai," Emily greeted her after saying hello to Rory._

_"We need to talk," Lorelai said, her eyes flashing, her tone firm and full of barely leashed fury and betrayal._

_**To Be Continued.**_

_**A/N: And there you have it! Another chapter, and only 13 hours after the last one. :D I really hope you guys liked it. But, even if you didn't like it, leave me a review letting me know what I could do to improve the story! Suggestions, Constructive Criticism, and Questions always welcome! :D**_


	3. Emily

Disclaimer: I sincerely regret that I am not the owner of either Gilmore Girls or Parenthood…

A/N: Okay, I might not be able to update for a few days after this. So, here's a new chapter to tide you over in case I'm not here to update! :D And, as always, I really appreciate the support of my readers and reviewers. You guys rock!

**Chapter Three: Emily**

Emily paused for a moment at her daughter's tone of voice before she reprimanded her. "Lorelai, you will not take that tone with me. What is the matter with you?" she demanded.

"Ha! What's the matter with me? I don't know what the matter with me is. Now, I have a question for you, **Mother**," Lorelai responds sarcastically. "Was I adopted?" she asked and had the privilege of seeing Emily truly shocked (and somewhat guilty) before she sighed and seemed to resign herself to the situation.

"Yes, Lorelai, you were adopted," Emily answered her, somehow knowing where this was going from the feeling she had in the pit of her stomach.

Lorelai didn't smile at her supposed mother's capitulation like she normally would. Today was anything **but** normal. "I know. I found out today actually – from my birth family. Never mind the fact that you could have told me years ago. Never mind the fact that if it was up to you I probably never would have known. And, what's more. You know what else I found out? Not only was I adopted, I was **kidnapped** and, apparently, **abandoned** on **your** doorstep! Why is it that you **never** told me? Why is it that I had to find out from a complete stranger that she was my birth mother and I was adopted?" she ranted, pacing back and forth, before coming to a stop and looking at the woman standing before her. And this time Emily's face was completely overcome with guilt. And Lorelai knew. Lorelai felt the room spinning around her for a moment. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't speak. She just couldn't believe it.

"Lorelai - ," Emily tried to speak, guilt-driven to try and explain, but she was cut off by her now admittedly adopted daughter.

"You knew…" Lorelai whispered, grief-stricken at the very thought that the woman that she had called her mother all these years… Emily **knew** that Lorelai had been kidnapped. Knew and never bothered to try and return her to her real family.

"Emily, what is she talking about? What did you know?" Richard interrupted the brief silence that had fallen, looking at his adopted daughter concernedly. No, his daughter, he corrected himself. Even though Lorelai was adopted and even though he had been disappointed when she got pregnant with Rory, she was his daughter and he loved her, even if he didn't express it enough.

Emily panicked for a moment before sighing in resignation and answering her husband's question honestly. "I knew that Lorelai had been kidnapped. I saw a picture of her twin sister, Sarah, one day when I went to pick up the license plate for one of our cars. I saw the picture and read the notice that was typed on the page. Lorelai was 2 years old at the time, and I knew that she was the missing child. I knew that she was the one they were searching for," she confessed, her eyes pleading with her husband of over 30 years to understand, to forgive her.

Lorelai had been lost in her own thoughts (not enough that she didn't hear Emily's confession, but not paying strict attention either) but she snapped out of it at the sound of her father's voice.

"You **what**? You knew. All these years… and you knew, Emily. And you never told me, your husband? Don't bother," Richard yelled when his wife opened her mouth to defend herself. "I don't want to hear it. I can't even look at you, right now. Go upstairs and move your things into one of the guest bedrooms. Now!" he commanded and, for once, Emily Gilmore did as she was told and started up the staircase only pausing once.

"I truly am sorry, Lorelai. Don't blame your father. He never knew about your abduction. The only thing he knew was that you were adopted. And I want you to know that I have always thought of you as my daughter, Lorelai, and my granddaughter, Rory," Emily said quietly before continuing her journey upstairs.

Everyone just stood there, stunned, for a moment. Richard was furious with his wife, but he was also worried that Lorelai might blame him for Emily's actions. Rory, on the other hand, was extremely mad and upset with her grandmother but she was mostly worried about Lorelai. Lorelai, however, was in the midst of feeling several emotions. She was beyond furious that Emily had known about all of this for 30 years and never said anything, but she was also hurt by this fact. At the same time, she felt relieved that she finally knew why she never really felt like her parents' daughter. It wasn't just that they were so different from her parents – it was that they really **weren't **her parents. But she was still just so stunned and confused from the whirlwind of events that had taken place in such a short amount of time.

Suddenly, Lorelai broke the silence. "Rory, come on. I think it's time we went home," she said, walking towards the door and taking her coat from the maid with Rory following her and doing the same.

Richard shook himself from his daze. Before they left, he had to know. "Lorelai, Rory, wait. I just… I want you to know that I never knew about any of this other than you being adopted, Lorelai. And… and I want you to know that I couldn't have loved you more or been more proud of you than if you were my own flesh and blood –either of you. I understand that you're upset with Emily – I am as well. But, please… Please don't shut me out as well," Richard, usually not a very emotionally carefree man, suddenly found the words tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop them as he stood looking at his daughter and granddaughter worriedly.

The two of them just stood for a moment, stunned. They had never heard Richard speak so emotionally. Then, Rory stepped forward to hug him, hard, before releasing him and saying goodbye so that Lorelai and Richard could have a moment alone. Richard looked somewhat relieved but still worried, waiting for Lorelai's reaction. He expected her to tell him off and walk away. So, he was shocked when she stepped forward much like Rory had and gave him a quick hug.

Lorelai stepped back and smiled softly. "I don't blame you for this, Dad. I mean, sure, you could have told me that I was adopted. But the rest is all on Emily. And I want you to know… that I love you, too," she said quietly and watched as her father sighed in relief, before turning and walking towards her car.

She stopped when she reached the Jeep and turned back to see Richard still framed in the doorway watching her go. "Oh, and Dad?" she called out and he looked at her questioningly. "I'll see you next Friday. We have a deal after all, don't we?" she asked, smiling gently.

Richard allowed himself a rare grin. "I'll see you on Friday. Goodnight, Lorelai," he responded, happy that his daughter wasn't going to blame him as well as Emily.

"Goodnight, Dad," she said, getting into the Jeep and leaving the Gilmore Mansion, heading back towards Stars Hollow, with Rory silent beside her as they both thought about all that had transpired.

Once they arrived home, the two Gilmore girls made their way inside, flipping on lights automatically, and flopped onto the couch.

"It's been quite a night, huh, kid?" Lorelai said, wrapping her arm around her daughter's shoulders.

"It's definitely one to remember," Rory agreed, leaning her head on her mom's shoulder as they both relaxed down until they were lying across the length of the old, beaten up couch. "So… What are we gonna do? What are you gonna do?" she questioned tiredly, worn out from all of the events that had taken place throughout the day.

"I don't know, kid. Hmm… I'll think about it tomorrow, at Tara," Lorelai quoted and gave her daughter a kiss on top of the head as they both laughed sleepily. "Goodnight, babe."

"Goodnight, Mom," Rory said, snuggling closer to her mother, her one safe haven. And Lorelai pulled her close and just held her in her arms as they drifted into sleep, too emotionally exhausted to even consider moving. But neither of them would have moved anyway. Because when they held each other as they slept, they comforted each other – just by being there.

**To Be Continued.**

**A/N: I know this chapter was a little short, but it's currently 3:49 AM and I'm too tired to try and make it longer. Besides, I really wanted the focus of this chapter to be the discussion with Emily. But I hope you liked it! :D As mentioned above, I will be unable to update for approximately a week, but I will post a new chapter as soon as I am back. And now, I'm going to imitate Lorelai and Rory and get some much-needed sleep. :) Suggestion, Constructive Criticism, and Questions welcome as always! :D**


	4. A Long Talk

_Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not have the honor of owning either Gilmore Girls or Parenthood…_

_A/N: So, I'm back. I appreciate all of the support from my readers and reviewers! You guys are awesome! :D And now, to show my appreciation, here's another chapter. I hope you like it!_

_**Chapter Four: A Long Talk**_

_Usually, it was near impossible to get Lorelai up on a Saturday morning, but not today. Today she was up and ready to go. Today she was going to speak to her birth family some more._

_"Rory!" Lorelai yelled, hurrying down the stairs after spending more time than usual getting ready for work._

_"Kitchen!" her daughter yelled back, poking her head into the hallway._

_"Oh, my God, I need some coffee," Lorelai complained before Rory turned around and placed a large cup of the rich black liquid in front of her. "Angel," she said, grinning and placing one hand on her heart._

_"So, you're going to talk to them today?" Rory questioned, drinking her own coffee and looking at her mom curiously. She still couldn't believe that Lorelai was adopted and that she, well the two of them, had this whole other family that they knew nothing about._

_Lorelai hesitated before answering. "Yeah, you know they're staying at the inn, so I'll probably see them pretty soon after I get to work," she replied, still somewhat unsure of how to act around her birth family but excited at the same time._

_Rory could sense her mom's uncertainty and gave a small smile. "I'm sure it'll be fine. After all, they're your – well, **our **– family. They'll love you," she reassured, still nervous by the thought of meeting them herself._

_"You know, if you wanted to come with me that would be fine, but only if you want to," Lorelai offered, knowing that her daughter had to be just as curious about these new people as she was._

_Rory quickly shook her head. "No, that's okay, just… not yet. I think I would feel better if you got to know them a little bit before I met them," she explained truthfully. She would feel much better if her mom got to know them first._

_Lorelai smiled. "Well, in that case, I'd better get to work, huh?" she grinned, dropping a kiss on the top of Rory's head and heading to the front door. "Good luck!" she heard from the kitchen as she grabbed her coat. "Thanks! Bye, babe!" she called back._

_**Well, here goes nothing,** Lorelai thought, starting up the Jeep and heading to the inn._

* * *

_Sarah sighed impatiently once more, pacing back and forth in the room that all of the Bravermans had congregated in to anxiously await Lorelai's arrival._

_"Sarah, calm down and stop pacing before you wear a hole in the floor," Julia teased mildly, just as nervous (and excited) as her sister._

_Sarah ignored the comment but stopped pacing to take a closer look at the room. It was similar to hers, but the differences were there. Still, it was beautiful – the entire inn was beautiful._

_Camille was having similar thoughts to Sarah's. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" she asked of no one in particular, in awe of what Lorelai, what her **daughter**, had created._

_"I can't believe that she owns this place, it's incredible," Joel commented from his place next to his wife, Julia._

_"Well, she's a Braverman, isn't she?" Zeek said proudly, as if that explained it all._

_Just then, they heard a car pulling to a stop outside and hurried to look out the window. They were just in time to see Lorelai stepping out of the Jeep and head towards the lobby. The family wasted no time in rounding up the kids, who had all been unusually quiet since first seeing Lorelai, and heading downstairs._

* * *

_Lorelai walked into the inn and headed to see Michel and check on everything. "Michel, there are some people that I need to speak with soon, so you're going to be in charge today but if there's anything major I can try and get it done right now," she said rapidly, removing her coat and bag and tossing them into her office._

_"Oh, yes, I forgot. Since you are the owner you come and go as you please," he said snootily in his customary French accent._

_Lorelai smiled playfully. "Yes, that's exactly right. Now, is there anything desperately needs my personal attention before I leave you to your own devices?" she asked teasingly, her eyes bright with mischief._

_"Oh, go away. I will handle everything, just as I always do," he said crossly and Lorelai grinned before going to sit in the lobby, with the cup of coffee she had stopped to grab from Luke's, and wait for…_

_"Huh. I never even got their last name. Nice going, Lorelai. You met your blood family and didn't even bother to ask for their last name," she berated herself, talking under her breath before looking up at the sound of footsteps on the stairs._

_When she exactly the group of people she had just been thinking about, Lorelai stood and made her way over to them. "Hi," she said, speaking to one of the women she had met the day before – her twin, Sarah._

_Sarah gave a small smile, once more feeling completely at ease with her sister. "Hi," she responded._

_Lorelai returned her smile, looking over the entire group quickly. "I was thinking we could head outside. There are several picnic tables outside and I called ahead this morning and had them moved together to form one long table so that we could have some privacy and space when we talk. And, I don't know if you've had breakfast yet, but Sookie insisted on making us a huge breakfast and it should be on its way out there right now, along with coffee, orange juice, apple juice, and milk. Personally, I prefer to stick with coffee, but you never know. So, what's you guys' last name anyway?" Lorelai led the family outside as she spoke over her shoulder._

_All the group following her could do was stare for a moment. They had never heard anyone talk so much, or so fast. As they were all sitting down, Camille answered her daughter's question. "Our last name is Braverman," she said and Lorelai nodded._

_"You never got anyone but Mom's and my names, huh?" Sarah asked her sister as the two of them sat next to each other. "Well, this is our dad, Zeek. This is our older brother, Adam; he's 34. Adam's wife, Kristina; she's 33. Their kids, Haddie who's 12 and Max who's 7. Our younger brother, Crosby who's 29. Our little sister, Julia who's 27. Her husband, Joel who's 28. And my kids, Amber who's 13 and Drew who's 11," she said, pointing everyone out as she said their names and they responded with a smile and either a nod or a small wave which Lorelai reciprocated._

_Lorelai smiled once Sarah finished. "It's nice to finally meet you," she said, a small smirk playing over her face. When she heard footsteps coming up the path, Lorelai looked up to see Rory standing there, looking nervous but determined, and she smiled._

_Lorelai looked into her daughter's eyes for an answer to her unspoken question: **Are you sure you're ready?** Having seen Rory's silent answer, Lorelai cleared her throat a little to get everyone's attention as she stood._

_"Everyone, there's someone I'd like you to meet," she said, beckoning Rory over to stand next to her and wrapping her arm around Rory's shoulders while her daughter looped one arm around her waist._

_The Braverman's eyes all widened in surprise. "If I didn't know better, I'd ask if she was your sister. She looks just like you. Who is she?" Sarah asked, looking amazedly at the beautiful young girl standing next to Lorelai._

_Lorelai and Rory looked at each other quickly and grinned before laughing for a moment. "Sorry… Everyone, this is Rory, my daughter," she said, glancing at Rory before continuing. "Rory, this is Zeek, Camille, Adam, Kristina, Haddie, Max, Crosby, Julia, Joel, Sarah, Amber, and Drew," she recited the introductions quickly, watching the surprise flicker across their faces at the news that Rory was her daughter and not her adopted sister or something._

_"Rory?" Sarah asked curiously, intrigued by the unusual name._

_Lorelai laughed again. "Well, actually, I named her after myself. Her full name is Lorelai Leigh Gilmore, but everyone calls her Rory although she'll answer to either," she explained glancing at her daughter and grinning at her affectionately._

_Rory grinned back at her. "Yeah, she got caught up in the concept that men name their children after themselves all the time, so why couldn't women? So, she decided to name me after herself," Rory elaborated, feeling some of the nerves over meeting this group of people start to die down, and smiled at their amused expressions as she and Lorelai sat._

_Kristina started to speak but stopped herself. Unfortunately for her, Lorelai had seen it and had a feeling that she knew exactly what her… sister-in-law… was going to say, or more accurately ask._

_"It's okay. You can ask," Lorelai said kindly, looking directly at Kristina and nodding._

_"How old is she?" Kristina asked carefully, not trying to be rude but honestly curious as to the answer._

_Lorelai just smiled calmly. "She's sixteen," she answered truthfully. She had faced all kinds of horrible reactions to this news and was fully prepared for any response they may have made. Still, somehow she knew that they wouldn't react badly as Emily and Richard had when they found out that she was pregnant at 15._

_There was a brief surprised silence while the Bravermans absorbed this information, as well as its implications, before Amber spoke. "So, you got knocked up when you were 16?" she asked curiously. She was usually a very guarded person but for some reason she felt comfortable talking to this woman, her aunt._

_Sarah turned to look at her daughter exasperatedly, a blush rising to her cheeks at the bluntness of Amber's statement. "Amber!" she scolded her before turning back to apologize to her sister. "I'm so sorry…" she began to apologize but stopped when she heard Lorelai's laughter and saw Rory's small smile._

_"It's fine. I really don't mind. I've gotten reactions that were infinitely worse than hers," Lorelai reassured Sarah, honestly somewhat enjoying the young girl's candor. "Actually, I was 15 when I first got pregnant but I was 16 when I had Rory," she said to Amber, answering the girl's question, her eyes sparkling and an amused smile on her face. "It's okay, you can ask me anything you want," she said, recognizing the look of hesitance on her newfound sister's face._

_"Do you ever regret having a kid so young?" Sarah asked, before rushing to back up her statement. "I mean, Rory's beautiful and she seems like a great kid, but… I'm just curious," she finished nervously._

_The two girls glanced at each other and smiled for a moment. "No, I've never regretted it. Sure, it wasn't the smartest thing to do. And it might have been easier if I'd been older, but I could never regret it because if I hadn't gotten pregnant I wouldn't have Rory," she said looking at her daughter out of the corner of her eye and smiling at her warmly._

_In response, Rory wrapped one arm securely around her mother's waist giving her a one-armed hug, while the Bravermans watched the small scene in awe of the enormity of love and closeness that seemed to flow between the two. After a moment, everyone dug into their breakfast and began asking questions as they thought of them, easing everyone's nerves and creating a calmer, more relaxed atmosphere._

* * *

_After a while, something occurred to Sarah. "What about Rory's dad and the people who raised you?" she asked cautiously._

_For the first time, Lorelai hesitated for a moment before answering. "Well, first let's start with my adoptive parents," she began cautiously. "Their names are Emily and Richard Gilmore. They're very rich and very influential people who live in Hartford. I grew up in a mansion and, honestly, I was mainly raised by different nannies and maids. Ha! There must have been hundreds of different people who went through that house just while I was growing up. It was definitely a **unique** childhood. The Gilmores are a very important part of society, and growing up as their daughter meant that **I** was to be an active member of society. And what that means is that I was taught manners and etiquette and politics and how to be silent, poised; maintain proper spacing and distance. And, being the **busy people** that they are, whenever I rebelled against whatever stupid thing they wanted me to do, rather than speak to me or take into consideration what I thought or what I wanted they just yelled at me for a while before sending me to my room and ignoring me," Lorelai said, slight bitterness creeping into her voice at all of the memories swirling through her mind._

_The Bravermans felt anger and sorrow fill their hearts. Anger at the people who had neglected Lorelai in such a way, and sorrow that she had had to grow up like that. Before they could offer any words of apology, she continued._

_"Ha! When they found out I was pregnant – that was the most reaction I'd ever gotten from them about anything. Emily was furious that I had screwed up her plans for my future and that my actions would reflect badly on her. Honestly, I've never **really **considered her my mother. Richard… He may not have always shown very much emotion or been all that attentive, but he was different. He did his best to be a good father to me despite the fact that I wasn't really his daughter. He was disappointed **in** me, yes. But he was also disappointed **for** me. A year after Rory was born, I ran away from them and I made my way here, to Stars Hollow and raised Rory here with the help of the people in the town. After that, I only saw them on holidays when Emily summoned me to dinner without giving me the chance to refuse or back out. And it's been that way ever since, up until a couple months ago, but I'll explain more about that later. As for Rory's father… His name is Christopher Hayden. I've known him since I was a baby. His parents, Straub and Francine Hayden, were close friends with the Gilmores. Chris and I were always getting into trouble together. We were practically inseparable. We first started dating when I was 14; he was 15. After I got pregnant, our parents decided that we would get married and Chris would go to work at Richard's insurance firm. But I knew that Chris would be miserable if he was forced to work in a place like that, he never wanted to do anything like that, and I told him that. Then after I had Rory and ran away from home, he moved to California. He calls once a week to talk to Rory and we see him maybe a couple times a year," she finished._

_"Did he ever propose?" Julia asked before she could stop herself, but Lorelai just smiled at her younger sister._

_"He's asked several times. I've just never said yes," Lorelai stated calmly, and after that the subject was dropped._

_After eating breakfast and spending most of the day together having a nice long talk, both Lorelai and Rory and the Bravermans felt more at ease around each other. They talked, joked, and traded stories with each other. And it felt… right. They still had a long way to go, but it was a start._

* * *

_"So, we'll see you tomorrow?" Lorelai asked as she and Rory got in the Jeep at the end of the day._

_Camille nodded. "We'll see you then. Bye, Lorelai. Bye, Rory," she said, smiling gently, and the rest of the family said their goodbyes before the two girls pulled out of the parking lot and left._

_"So, what do you think? Have we made progress?" Lorelai asked, glancing at her daughter as she drove._

_Rory smiled at her mom. "Yeah, I think we have," she said, and they just grinned at each other for a moment._

* * *

_Later that night, after Lorelai and Rory had already said goodnight, Lorelai heard light footsteps on the staircase and smiled, knowing it was Rory. "What's up, babe?" she asked from under the covers on her bed when her daughter entered the room._

_Rory shrugged, climbing into bed and snuggling up to her mom. "I just felt like sleeping in here tonight. That okay?" she asked sleepily._

_Lorelai laughed softly and kissed her daughter on the head. "Always," she said, holding her daughter to her._

_"I have a good feeling about this," Rory said, not elaborating, knowing Lorelai would know what she meant._

_"Me too, kid. Me too," Lorelai said softly as the two drifted into a deep, contented sleep._

_**To Be Continued.**_

_**A/N: Yay! Another chapter finished, and this one is the longest one yet for this story. Sorry for the wait on this chapter but I was out of town. I hope you liked it! :D I will post another new update soon! Suggestion, Constructive Criticism, and Questions always encouraged! :D**_


	5. Alright Then

_Disclaimer: I still don't own them…_

_A/N: Sorry it's been so long, but I've been busy. Anyways, thanks for all the support guys! :D I really appreciate it! So, here's the new chapter!_

_**Chapter Five: Alright Then**_

_Getting ready to go to Luke's the next morning, Lorelai and Rory were going through their usual routine and about to head out the door when a thought occurred to Rory._

_"Hey, Mom?" she asked, playing with the idea in her mind for a moment before voicing it._

_"Yeah, Sweets?" Lorelai asked, tilting her head curiously._

_"What if we invited them to come to Luke's with us?" Rory asked cautiously, thinking about all the questions that both they and the Bravermans would have to face once the town knew that Lorelai was adopted and that the Bravermans were her birth family._

_Lorelai hesitated, obviously thinking about the same thing as her daughter. "Well, why not? The town had to find out eventually. So, we'll take the car to the inn and then if they want to come we'll all walk into town together?" she suggested, and Rory nodded._

_"To the inn!" Rory cheered, hurrying down the steps and into the car._

_"To the inn!" Lorelai seconded, following her._

* * *

_Sarah and the rest of the Bravermans were making their way down the stairs and over to the dining area when they heard the front door opening. "Hey!" they heard, and turned to see Lorelai and Rory coming in, grinning widely at the Bravermans surprised faces._

_"Hey," Sarah returned, grinning back at them and shaking her head in amusement. Her sister and her daughter definitely had energy._

_"So, we were getting ready to go to Luke's earlier and we," Lorelai began, only to be cut off by Rory._

_"You mean **I**," Rory interjected, raising an eyebrow at her mother._

_"Why whatever do you mean?" Lorelai asked, her voice full of false innocence and her eyes sparkling teasingly._

_"It was my idea," Rory insisted._

_"Is your name Lorelai Gilmore or is it not?" Lorelai questioned, her tone serious but her eyes bright with mischief._

_Rory looked confused for a moment before answering. "Yes," she said slowly._

_"Exactly! And so is mine! So, you see, the idea belongs to Lorelai Gilmore which is you who is also me which makes the idea both yours and mine also known as ours!" Lorelai quickly stated, managing to make the insane statement sound both perfectly logical and perfectly illogical at the same time._

_All the Bravermans could do was stand and stare at the obviously commonplace exchange between mother and daughter as Rory glared and frowned slightly, attempting to argue further for a moment, before relenting and causing a smirking Lorelai to turn back to them to finish her original statement._

_"So, to get back to the point, **we**," she said triumphantly, grinning at Rory who smiled back at her and stuck out her tongue, "thought you might want to come with us to Luke's for some breakfast."_

_Sarah laughed for a moment before answering. "We'd love to, right guys?" she asked, turning back to face the rest of her family and receiving a chorus of agreement._

_"Well then, let's go," both Lorelai and Rory spoke at the same time and grinned at each other before leading the Bravermans outside._

* * *

_Once they got to Luke's and found several unoccupied tables on one side of the diner, Lorelai grabbed a coffee cup off the table and cradled it in her hands, biting her lower lip as she walked up to the counter._

_"Where's she going?" Sarah asked Rory, watching her sister curiously._

_Rory laughed. "She's going to beg Luke for coffee," she explained, grinning as she saw said flannel-clad diner owner walk out of the kitchen to stand in behind the counter. They all listened to the exchange between the two, glancing curiously between them._

_"Luke, please," Lorelai began, looking completely serious for once as she looked at Luke, who was writing something down on his order pad._

_"How many cups have you had today?" he asked without looking up._

_Lorelai answered quickly. "None."_

_"Plus?" Luke asked, looking up skeptically. He knew better than to believe her._

_She hesitated before answering. "Five, but yours is better," she pleaded._

_Camille was shocked. "Has she really already had five cups of coffee today?" she asked her newfound granddaughter, surprise evident in her voice._

_Rory grinned and nodded at her. "Yep. I've already had three, but then again I'm just an amateur compared to Mom," she said truthfully, turning back to look at her mom and Luke._

_"You have a problem," Luke said, just as he always did._

_"Yes, I do," Lorelai admitted, holding out her coffee cup expectantly._

_Luke sighed. "Junkie," he said, shaking his head as he poured her coffee._

_"Angel," Lorelai said gratefully. "You've got wings, baby," she said, walking back over to sit down next to Rory. "What?" she asked, looking up from her coffee to see almost everyone looking at her strangely._

_"So, how long have you been dating him?" Sarah asked playfully, raising her eyebrows suggestively._

_Lorelai laughed and shook her head. "What is wrong with everyone? I am not dating Luke. We are just friends," she ranted quickly, glaring at Rory when she smirked._

_"We're sorry. It's just that you guys look really great together. We know you're just friends," Rory quickly appeased her mother as Luke walked over._

_"Hey, who are all the new people?" Luke asked Lorelai curiously._

_Lorelai paused for a moment before answering. "Luke, these are the Bravermans. They're my birth family. I was adopted and this is my twin sister, Sarah," she said carefully, watching for Luke's reaction. She could tell when he noticed her sister because he started a little bit._

_"Huh. She does look similar to you, but not quite the same. I can still really tell the difference between the two of you," he said uncomfortably, looking at Lorelai's twin skeptically while freaking out at the same time from the overload of information, but he knew that Lorelai had to be even more overwhelmed so he wanted to try and make it a little easier for her._

_Lorelai and Sarah looked at each other and laughing at Luke's obvious discomfort. Lorelai cleared her throat to get her… family's… attention. She still wasn't quite used to the idea. "Everyone, this is Luke. He owns the diner and he's the main person responsible for keeping me and Rory fed and in coffee - ," she began before Crosby interrupted._

_"What do you mean he keeps you fed?" Crosby asked, confused by his older sister's comment._

_Rory and Lorelai chuckled, glancing at each other. "She means that neither of us having any cooking ability whatsoever. We can't even make Hamburger Helper. So, mostly we eat at Luke's or we get take-out," Rory explained, smirking at their surprised expressions._

_The Bravermans just looked at each other for a moment. "All right, then," Julia said, shaking her head in amusement._

_"Anyway, so yeah. Luke, this is Camille, Zeek, Adam, Kristina, Haddie, Max, Crosby, Julia, Joel, Amber, Drew, and Sarah Braverman," Lorelai quickly finished her introductions while Luke gave a small half-wave._

_"So, for breakfast you want…" Luke trailed off and everyone quickly gave their orders, allowing Luke to escape to the kitchen. After he was gone Sarah laughed again._

_"What?" Lorelai and Rory spoke at the same time, looking at her curiously._

_Sarah grinned. "You sure he's not your boyfriend?" she asked teasingly._

_Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Yes, why?" she responded, annoyed._

_Sarah held up her hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. It's just… he seems to really like you and you seem really comfortable with him," was all she said and after that the subject was dropped._

_Lorelai was somewhat quieter after that, thinking about her sister's statements. After all, she wasn't entirely wrong. Lorelai **was** comfortable with Luke. But, after all, he had been her friend for years. Of course she was comfortable with him. Yes, he fixed a lot of things around her house. Yes, she enjoyed spending time with him. Yes, she liked to see him smile and he made her smile in return. But that didn't mean that she wanted to date him. Did it? Suddenly, she wasn't so sure what the answer to that question was. She had a feeling this wasn't going to be an easy question to answer. She had a lot of thinking to do._

_**To Be Continued.**_

_**A/N: Hey, so I know that this chapter wasn't very long but I was feeling a little stuck. It will get better after this. This was mainly a way of introducing Luke to the story and letting the rest of Stars Hollow in on the fact that Lorelai was adopted so that I can incorporate all of the crazy town's people's reactions into the story. Anyway, hope you liked it! Sorry for the long wait! Suggestion, Constructive Criticism, and Questions always welcome! :D**_


	6. Friday Night Dinner

_Disclaimer: I only watch Gilmore Girls and Parenthood, I don't own them…_

_A/N: I know, I know! It's been two weeks since I updated! Sorry! :( I've just had a lot going on, but here's the new chapter! I hope you enjoy it!_

_This chapter is dedicated to BFD for being the only person to review the last chapter! :D_

_**Chapter Six: Friday Night Dinner**_

_Several days had passed since the Bravermans had first arrived and met Lorelai and Rory, and now it was Wednesday. Every day so far they had all met up, so that they could get to know each other. So, naturally, the whole Friday-Night-Dinner thing was grudgingly explained, but Lorelai had yet to tell them that on Monday Richard had called and requested that the Bravermans attend dinner this Friday and that's what she was thinking about as she and Rory arrived at the inn._

* * *

_It had been several hours now, and Lorelai still had not brought up the dreaded subject, instead spacing out and worrying about it in her head. At first only Rory noticed, but eventually it got to the point where they all saw that something was bothering Lorelai and Sarah was the first to point it out._

_"You're doing it again," Sarah teased playfully, her eyes showing true concern despite her light-hearted comment._

_Lorelai shook her head to clear it and looked up with a small grin. "Sorry, I was just thinking about something," she said, steeling herself for what she had to say._

_Julia's eyebrows drew together at her sister's words. "What are you thinking about?" she asked._

_Lorelai hesitated for a moment. "You know how I told you about the whole Friday Night Dinner deal? Well, on Monday, Richard called and requested that you all come for dinner and told me to ask you and inform him of your decision no later than tomorrow afternoon," she stated quickly, relieved that she had finally spoken the words that had been gnawing at her for the past couple of days._

_The Bravermans all wore similar expressions of surprise. They had hoped to meet the people who had raised Lorelai (despite what they had heard about the people, they were still grateful to them for at least keeping her alive and safe), but they hadn't expected to be **invited** to come to their house for dinner._

_Camille was the first to speak once she had recovered from the shock of the news. "We'd be glad to go," she said sincerely and Lorelai seemed to find her answer amusing. "What is it?" Camille asked curiously._

_Lorelai shook her head. "If this dinner goes anywhere near the way I think it will – you won't be quite so glad. Are you sure you really want to go?" she asked, wanting them to understand the importance of being absolutely of their decision before having any kind of contact with the Gilmores._

_Adam answered this time. "We're sure. No matter what happens, it'll be okay. We want to do this. You're one of us, and we want to see how you grew up. I know how you described it but… I guess, we just need to see it for ourselves," he said, and Lorelai gave a small smile and nodded._

_"Okay, then," she said, and that was the end of it. The Bravermans were going to Friday Night Dinner._

* * *

_It was Friday night and Lorelai and Rory were pulling into the Gilmore's driveway, followed by the Bravermans. Lorelai quickly got out of the car and called a greeting to everyone. Once everyone was out of their respective cars, the Bravermans stood in a group and paused, looking incredulously at the looming mansion that stood before them._

_Lorelai laughed shortly. "Welcome to the Gilmore Mansion or, as I like to call it, Hell," she said, disdain for the place that she grew up in evident in her voice._

_The Braverman family relaxed a bit after a moment and nodded for Lorelai and Rory to lead the way to the door. After they rang the doorbell, the maid (new, as usual) took all of their coats and Lorelai led them to the living room, dread flowing through her veins._

_When they reached the living room, Lorelai noticed that extra furniture had been brought in and the room had been rearranged slightly to create more space. Emily and Richard sat on opposite sides of the room; they looked up when Lorelai cleared her throat._

_"Lorelai, Rory," Richard said, standing and smiling at the girls. Emily remained seated and silent, sulking and simmering with anger that was merely a coping mechanism to help with the overwhelming guilt that she felt._

_"Hi, Grandpa," Rory said, smiling and hugging Richard before taking a seat. "Grandma," Rory said her voice emotionless as she forced herself to look at Emily, who nodded and forced a smile in response._

_"Dad," Lorelai said giving a small smile and reluctantly turning to face Emily. "Emily," she said coldly, fury running through her veins from simply being in the same room as the woman who betrayed her so terribly._

_"Lorelai," Emily said, her voice just as cold and full of suppressed hatred as Lorelai's. In Emily's mind, she had somehow convinced herself that it was all Lorelai's fault that this had happened. After all, Lorelai was the one who ruined everything all those years ago when she got pregnant. Not that she blamed Rory whatsoever for any of it – no, it was all Lorelai's fault. Never mind the fact that this was actually Emily's own fault. She knew it; she just couldn't bear to admit it._

_Sarah could hear the hate in the woman's voice and she flinched away from it instinctively. She had never heard such coldness, and she couldn't even imagine having her parents speak to her that way. She expected Lorelai to react similarly, but it seemed to have no effect on her. She took it in stride, not reacting in any way. **She's just going to let it roll off her back and not say anything about it? How is that possible?** She thought to herself incredulously. Never the less, possible or not, that's what happened._

_Lorelai turned to make the necessary introductions. She had a feeling they would be surprised at the way that Emily spoke to her and her non-reaction, and she wasn't disappointed. She could see the shock on their faces. But, what they didn't realize is that she didn't react because she had had that tone of voice directed at her for most of her life and thereby knew from experience that nothing would change anyway, even if she were to protest in some way. So now she just ignored it, used to it after years of hearing it every day. "Dad, this is Zeek, Camille, Adam, Kristina, Crosby, Julia, Joel… and this is my twin, Sarah," she said, smiling a little as she introduced her sister to Richard._

_**Okay, introductions are done and drinks will be served soon. So far, so good. Now, if things could just keep going like this…** Lorelai thought as Richard shook hands with all of the Bravermans and asked what everyone would like to drink. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be. Things were about to go downhill fast, and it all started with those seven little words: "Mr. and Mrs. Gilmore, dinner is ready."_

_**To Be Continued.**_

**_A/N: Again, sorry for the long wait on the update. I've just had a lot going on for the past couple of weeks. On Thursday last week one of my family's cats got tangled up in the blinds and while I was trying to free him he bit into my hand. Then, if that wasn't enough, on Sunday the dogs went after one of the other cats and she accidentally clawed me instead of the dogs. So, all in all, it's been a bad week on the animal front. ;D Anyway, I hope you like the chapter! Suggestion, Constructive Criticism, and Questions always welcome! :D_ **


	7. Arguments

_Disclaimer: Only in my dreams do I own Gilmore Girls or Parenthood…_

_A/N: Thanks for the reviews, guys! :D I tried to update sooner but things have been a little hectic at school. Anyway, here's another chapter for you. Hope you like it! :) Okay, so, here we go…_

_**Chapter Seven: Arguments**_

_Walking to the dinner table to sit down, Lorelai got a sinking feeling in her stomach that said the relative peace from before wouldn't hold out much longer. And the feeling only intensified when, after everyone was seated, Emily looked as though she were about to speak. **Oh, god…** Lorelai thought. **This is gonna be one of those nights where she spends the whole time attacking me, isn't it?** **Yep, definitely one of those nights,** she thought as Emily turned a bit to face her, her eyes flashing coldly with some small bit of triumph. Lorelai just shook her head as Emily opened her mouth. **It's going to be a long night…**_

* * *

_**Not again…** Sarah thought, already flinching as Emily Gilmore once more opened her mouth. They had already been seated for 45 minutes and in that time, Emily had chosen to insult Lorelai seemingly non-stop. Sarah had no idea how Lorelai could stand it, but she had a feeling that her twin wouldn't remain silent much longer._

_Sure enough, as Emily once more turned to face Lorelai, Sarah could see the fury flash in her sister's eyes. Rory was obviously aware of just how close her mother was to losing it and interjected sharply, "Grandma." But Emily was on a roll and didn't listen to her adopted granddaughter's warning._

_"I don't suppose anyone would find it any big surprise that you were adopted. You never did quite fit in and now I'm beginning to realize why. After all, you did come from… How shall I put this? Somewhat… **humble** roots," Emily said condescendingly, and that was the last straw. Lorelai could deal with Emily insulting her – hell, she had dealt with it for 32 years. But what she couldn't, wouldn't tolerate was for her to attack her birth family in such an underhanded way._

_"That's enough, Emily! You can insult me all you want, I don't care! After all, I've dealt with it my whole life, but you will not attack them this way! They did nothing to earn that, to deserve that!" Lorelai exclaimed, standing abruptly and startling everyone but Emily and Rory._

_Emily stood as well. "Oh, please, these people are nothing more than average. I, for one, see absolutely nothing about them that is in any way worthy of my respect. And, more importantly, how dare you take that tone with me? You know, you've always been rebellious but this is just plain bad manners," she said haughtily._

_"Oh, yes, because God forbid that I speak to you in the way that you deserve," Lorelai shot back sarcastically._

_"The tone that **I** deserve? I seem to recall that **you** felt no less entitled when you ruined your own life, as well as implicating both mine and Richards! You didn't seem to feel any less entitled when you were running wild all night partying – getting drunk, having sex; getting pregnant! And then to top it all off, you don't even have the decency to at least **attempt** to rectify the situation and do the right thing by marrying Christopher!" Emily yelled, leaving the table and heading towards the living room. She really hadn't meant to say all of that, but it just came out. Lorelai was being so unfair! Yes, she lied, but only because she wanted what was best for her. Now, as her daughter's accusations rang in her ears, she couldn't help but strike out against her in retaliation for the pain and guilt that she was feeling._

_"Oh, my God!" Lorelai yelled, following her "mother" into the living room and feeling herself experiencing that same, familiar frustration that she felt every time that she received yet another lecture about not marrying Christopher and allowing him to "make an honest woman" of her. "We were 16, we didn't want to get married!"_

* * *

_Back at the table, Richard sighed. He had heard all of the arguments many times before and participated on more than one occasion, and now all he felt at the familiar sounds was a pang of regret and an overwhelming weariness. He knew how long this particular argument could last and wasn't looking forward to waiting the two women out._

_Sarah and the other adult Bravermans (the kids had all been left in Stars Hollow with Sookie for the duration of dinner) looked at each other in shock and concern, standing up uncertainly. They had to do something. They didn't know what, but they knew they couldn't just sit there!_

_Rory, however, knew that there was nothing to be done. "Don't. Just wait. There's really nothing you can do to stop them. They'll stop on their own eventually, but until then all we can do is wait," she said firmly, shrugging. She was just as concerned as the others, but she knew her mom and… Emily… well enough to know that there was no stopping them once they got started._

_At Rory's words, the Bravermans reluctantly took their seats once more. Everyone exchanged glances before settling themselves in to wait out the storm. And they waited. They weren't quite sure how long they sat there. Every once in a while they would hear a brief snatch of the conversation:_

_"…a child needs a mother and a father…"_

_"…what the hell is wrong with you?! Who keeps the fact that their 'daughter' not only was adopted but was **stolen** a secret for God's sake?!..."_

_"…this is all your fault…"_

_"…oh my God! I didn't love Christopher!..."_

_By the time all the screaming finally stopped, it was well after 11. Rory noticed the sudden silence and knew that it was time to go. She stood quickly, giving her grandfather a swift hug. "'Bye, Grandpa. Come on. They're done yelling, which means that it's definitely time to go," she said quickly to the Bravermans, who were still in shock from the events of the evening._

_"Rory," they heard, just before they came around the corner near the door to find Lorelai standing there looking exhausted but still furious. "Everyone ready?" she asked calmly, and they all nodded. "Alright, let's go," she said, turning to head out the front door, everyone else following suit after accepting their coats from the maid._

_Lorelai didn't speak on the way to her car and no one questioned her. However, before she could get into the driver's side of the Jeep, Sarah quickly spoke. "Hey, you okay?" she asked cautiously, not wanting to upset her sister any more than she already was._

_Lorelai paused for a moment. Usually, she would shrug it off and say "yes". Just pretend it was no big deal; she was fine. Play it down with a clever comment or a well-timed joke. There was absolutely nothing wrong; she could handle it. But she didn't want to pretend right now, and she wanted to be able to confide in her sister and vice versa. So, for once, she answered truthfully. "No," she said evenly and got in the car._

* * *

_They were almost to Stars Hollow when Rory spoke. "Hey, Mom?" she asked, looking over at her mother's tense form._

_"Yeah, babe?" Lorelai asked, both her voice and her posture softening automatically as she addressed her beloved daughter._

_"Are you gonna be okay?" Rory asked concernedly._

_Lorelai gave a soft smile. "Aww, babe," she said softly, looking over at her daughter's worried expression. "I'll be fine, I promise." Rory smiled at this and leaned over, hugging her mother's arm to her and laying her head against it, making Lorelai smile and lean down to press a quick kiss to the top of Rory's head. No matter how bad things ever seemed at the moment, her daughter could always make things seem better and as long as she lived she would never take that extraordinary gift for granted._

_**To Be Continued.**_

_**A/N: I know, not my best work. I had some trouble with this chapter, but it should get better from here on out. Well, you know what to do. Leave me a review, please. Suggestions, Constructive Criticism, and Questions welcome! Also, if you can answer this question correctly you can either choose to pick an upcoming storyline for this story or I will write a one-shot for Gilmore Girls centered on Lorelai or Parenthood centered on Sarah which will be dedicated to you! :D**_

_**What Gilmore Girls episode is this from and who said it?**_

_"**I find your mother completely fascinating." - ?**_


	8. Christopher

_Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I am not the owner of these two awesome shows…_

_A/N: Sorry, I know it's been a while, but I've had an awful cold. For the purpose of my story, Christopher has been to Stars Hollow before! Just 8 days left until the Season 4 premiere of Parenthood, so I figured that deserved an eight chapter! :D Anyways, here's the next chapter! :D_

**_Chapter 8: Christopher_**

_The morning after the disastrous Friday Night Dinner, Lorelai woke with a feeling similar to a hangover and knew that it was the aftereffects of the fight between her and Emily. **She just doesn't know when to stop, does she? **Lorelai thought to herself as she dragged herself out of bed and downstairs. "See, now, this is why you're my favorite daughter," she said, grinning as she walked into the kitchen and accepted the cup of coffee that Rory held out to her._

_Rory smirked. "Yes, I always suspected it. So, are we still going to show everyone around the town, today?" she asked curiously, not sure if her mom was up to it after what happened the night before._

_Lorelai smiled. "You bet. Just let me have a few more cups of coffee, I'll get dressed, and then we can go. They said that they would meet us in front of Luke's and we would go from there," Lorelai responded, pouring herself another cup of coffee._

_"Well, hurry up. Copperboom!" Rory exclaimed, using their newest catchphrase and making Lorelai giggle._

_"Copperboom!" she exclaimed._

* * *

_Lorelai, Rory, and the entire Braverman clan had been walking around Stars Hollow for about an hour or so and had already been stopped numerous times by curious town's people. Fortunately, though, Lorelai had only had to tell the whole story to Patty in order for the entire town to know within half an hour as word spread like wildfire that Lorelai had been kidnapped as a baby and was adopted by the Gilmores._

_They were done with the tour for the most part and were heading into Doose's Market to grab a couple of drinks for the kids – Lorelai had insisted on a quick stop by Luke's for some coffee, first – when they heard it._

_Everyone turned around at the roar of the motorcycle. Lorelai's expression showed awe and recognition as she gazed on the bike and Rory looked at her curiously. "Kill me and bury me with that bike," Lorelai said reverently, remembering her own experiences with just such a bike._

_"What is it, a Harley?" Rory asked, clueless, causing Lorelai to shake her head in disappointment and making Sarah scoff._

_"That," Lorelai responded, "is a 2000 Indian, 80 horsepower, 5 speed close ratio Andrews transmission." As Lorelai spoke, everyone looked at her, surprised by her knowledge of that specific motorcycle and her ability to recognize it so easily._

_"How did you know that?" Adam asked his younger sister curiously. He never would have pegged her as the kind of person to know something like that._

_"Yeah, how did you know that? You've never mentioned anything like it before," Rory added, curious about this part of her mother that she had, shockingly, not known existed. She knew that she didn't know everything about her mother's past, but she never expected this to be a part of it._

_Lorelai smirked. "I was able to recognize that bike so easily and knew so much about it because, before I had Rory, I spent many, many days and nights riding a motorcycle exactly like that. I…," she hesitated, unsure about revealing this particular part of her past to her – family? – And her daughter in particular._

_Sarah noticed her sister's hesitation and smiled encouragingly at her. "Go on," she said quietly and Lorelai gave a small smile in return._

_"I participated in a lot of illegal motorcycle races, and I was actually really good. I won almost every race that I ever took part in. It was always something that I really enjoyed – just the speed and uncertainty and **danger** of it all," she spoke reverently._

_The members of her family surrounding her, Rory and Sarah even more than the others, watched in amazement as Lorelai's face seemed lit from within and her eyes burned with passion as she spoke of this portion of her past that no one else would ever have guessed existed. No words were spoken, and they didn't need to be. The Bravermans just accepted this news as a piece of the amazing woman standing before them and Rory saw it as simply another part of her mom, the person who was always there for her and who loved and supported her unconditionally even though she had never received such love and support._

_After a moment of comfortable silence, everyone turned to go into the store as they heard the same motorcycle which started the conversation pull to a stop behind them. "Hey," a voice called out, and they all stopped and turned._

_For a moment, Lorelai was sure that the voice sounded familiar and she looked at the rider of the bike with interest. **Who…?**_

_"Nice shirt," the guy said, obviously speaking to Lorelai. "Take it off," he ordered, leaning back against his bike without removing his helmet._

_Everyone but Lorelai looked at the man in shocked indignation with the same thought running through their minds: Who does this guy think he is? Even Rory didn't recognize him – but Lorelai did._

_**No… It can't be. Ha! Of course it is! He always did enjoy greeting you this way, although if you were in private he wouldn't say the words, he would follow his own advice,** Lorelai thought as she smirked and shook her head back and forth. "Christopher…" she murmured quietly but still loud enough to be heard and everyone once more turned to her in confusion. They had been told of Rory's father and his non-involvement in the girls' lives, so surely they must have heard wrong, right?_

_Lorelai took a few steps forward, still shaking her head at him. "Rory," she said, turning her head just a little too address her – their – daughter, "Come and say 'hello' to your dad," she finished and Christopher finally pulled his helmet off._

_"Dad?" Rory questioned, excitement in her voice, and she ran to embrace him as Lorelai just continued to walk slowly forward and the Bravermans stood back and watched the scene play out. They weren't sure yet whether to be pleased or not about Rory's father's presence._

_"What are you doing here?" Rory questioned happily._

_"I'm here to see you and your mom, of course. So, what do you say? You happy to see me, Lor?" Christopher questioned somewhat sarcastically while at the same time somewhat seriously. He was always happy to see Lorelai – he loved her, he always had. But a part of what made their relationship exciting, and challenging, for him was that he never got exactly the same reaction or response from her when he saw her._

_Before Lorelai could answer, Sarah leaned over and whispered into Camille's ear. " 'Lor'?" she asked, slight disbelief in her voice. Since they had been here, not a single person had referred to her sister as anything other than Lorelai or, in Rory's case, Mom. Camille just shrugged, just as confused by the nickname as Sarah._

_"Well, you know what they say. When life gives you lemons, swell up and die," Lorelai said sarcastically, smirking once more, and her eyes sparkled just a bit more than before. Again, everyone looked to Lorelai in disbelief and confusion. They had no idea what she was talking about, although Christopher seemed to understand and apparently found it hilarious as he grinned and laughed at the statement._

_Rory just looked back and forth between her parents in confusion – even she didn't get that one. "What?" she questioned._

_Christopher grinned once more at his daughter's question as he turned back to Lorelai. "It's a quote from Scott Adams," he began._

_"He was this cartoonist in the '50s," Lorelai continued, smiling back at him._

_"And your mom and I were obsessed with his stuff for quite a while. He was hilarious," he finished, the memories flashing through his mind of times spent with Lorelai._

_"It's good to see you, Chris," Lorelai said sincerely, stepping forward to hug him for a moment before moving back. "And now, there are some people that I'd like you to meet, and trust me when I say that you are never going to believe it."_

_"What?" Chris questioned, so Lorelai quickly related the short version of the story to him. "Wow," he said when she was finished. "So," he said, speaking directly to the Bravermans. "You guys are Lor's real family?" he asked._

_"That's us," Camille answered for the whole family._

_"This is Camille, Zeek, Adam, Kristina, Haddie, Max, Crosby, Julia, Joel, Amber, and Drew. And, this," Lorelai began, grabbing her twin's arm and pulling her forward after having introduced everyone else, "is my twin, Sarah."_

_Chris was surprised for a moment. The woman, Sarah, did look remarkably similar to Lorelai and he had to admit that she was beautiful, but even she couldn't surpass Lorelai's stunning looks. "Wow, you do kind of look like her, but you're definitely not identical," he stated confidently. True, if he didn't know Lorelai like he did he might not be so sure, but he **did** know Lorelai._

_At Chris' words, the two twins exchanged a glance and a grin, before he spoke again. "So, where can a guy find a place to stay around here? I hear they have the most amazing inn somewhere around here. I don't suppose you know where I can find it?" he asked teasingly. He was extremely happy for Lorelai; he was proud of what she had accomplished. She always was the smart one out of the two of them._

_Lorelai just rolled her eyes at his comment. "Stay? You're staying?" Rory asked excitedly._

_"Thinking about it," Chris said jokingly. Honestly, it had always been his intention to stay for the duration of his trip._

_"Why don't you stay with us?" Rory offered quickly, and Sarah and the rest of the Bravermans looked at her in surprise before looking at Christopher with slight distrust. True, they didn't really know him; they had only heard about him. Still, they weren't thrilled with the thought of him staying in the same house with Lorelai and Rory, especially considering that the third bedroom in the Gilmore house had been turned into a sewing room rather than a guest room. They had a feeling that Christopher wouldn't be satisfied with sleeping on the couch for long and that only left Lorelai and Rory's rooms and they were fairly certain they knew which he would choose (he would probably jump at it, actually) if he got the chance – and it wasn't Rory's._

_"Lor?" he questioned, interrupting the Bravermans slightly worried and distrustful thoughts and bringing their attention back to Lorelai._

_Lorelai took a breath before answering. "Why don't you stay with us for a couple of days, Chris?" she asked and he grinned. "We were just gonna grab some drinks from inside but we'll meet you there in just a little while, okay?" she asked and he nodded._

_"The key's still in the turtle?" he asked, as if it was the most natural thing in the world._

_"Yep, Arthur's still keeping it safe for us," Lorelai responded with a smile._

_"Arthur?" Kristina asked._

_"Arthur, the turtle that sits in our front lawn," Rory told her as Chris got back on his bike._

_"Well, it was nice meeting you all. Rory, Lorelai, I'll see you guys there in a while?" he asked and when they responded with their own nods and goodbyes he started the bike and roared off in the direction of the Gilmore house._

_Everyone once more turned to go inside, with Lorelai and Sarah bringing up the rear, but Sarah grabbed her sister's arm before they went in. "Hey," she said._

_"Yeah?" Lorelai questioned._

_"What does this mean, him being here?" Sarah asked simply. The two twins had already developed a comfortable, close relationship despite the short amount of time that they had known each other._

_Lorelai sighed. She had expected this and she had a feeling that she would be answering this question again. "Honestly? I don't know. It could mean nothing, it could mean something," she said. There really wasn't any way of knowing._

_"And if it means something?" Sarah asked seriously._

_"Then it's… different," Lorelai responded truthfully._

_"And if it means nothing?" Sarah's tone was cautious this time._

_"Then it's…" Lorelai sighed. "Christopher," she said. There really was no other way of explaining it. Sarah just accepted her answer and made her way into the store, leaving Lorelai standing alone for a moment. **Christopher…** Lorelai thought, staring for a minute in the direction that said man had gone before shaking her head and going inside._

_**To Be Continued.**_

_**A/N: Okay, so what did you think? Leave me a review and let me know. Please note that I have changed my penname to J. Lorelai Victoria Night. I've decided to make a legal change and figured I would try it out here first! ;) And once again I apologize for the wait on the chapter. I hope you liked it! :) And, as I did in the last chapter: ****if you can answer this question correctly you can either choose to pick an upcoming storyline for this story or I will write a one-shot for Gilmore Girls centered on Lorelai or Parenthood centered on Sarah which will be dedicated to you!**_

_**What movie that Lauren was in is this from and what was the name of the character who said it?**_

_"**If there's a strong reason for me to have someone in my life, I'll fight for them. And I can already tell...never going to fight for you." - ?**_


	9. The Friday Night Dinner from Hell

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything…_

_A/N: Okay, so I'm starting to get a little discouraged from the lack of reviews. :( Even just a simple comment on whether or not you liked the chapter would be good, please, but I'm not gonna withhold chapters because of it. Just a suggestion! ;) So, here we go!_

_**Chapter Nine: The Friday Night Dinner from Hell**_

_It had been six days since Christopher had arrived asking Lorelai to take her shirt off. So far, nothing had happened between the two of them, but all of the Bravermans seemed to watch the two of them intently whenever they were together. As of yet, they still knew little about him other than that he was Rory's father and that he and Lorelai grew up together. Now, they were going to meet his parents. No one was exactly sure how, but somehow they all (Lorelai, Rory, Christopher, and the Bravermans minus the kids) got roped into going to Friday Night Dinner with not just the Gilmores but the Haydens as well. This is why they were all now standing in the Gilmore's driveway with Lorelai and Christopher in front and Rory directly behind them._

_They all stood in silence until Lorelai sighed. "I've got to see my fake parents."_

_Immediately afterwards Christopher sighed as well. "I've got to see the people I **wish** were just my fake parents."_

_No one spoke, everyone looking between the two and wondering just how bad their childhood was. Rory looked between her parents once more. "Ladies and gentlemen, the drama king and queen of Connecticut," she announced, making the Bravermans laugh quietly._

_"Hey, I resent that," Lorelai said, moving forward to unlock the door with her key while everyone raised their eyebrows at her except for Christopher who grinned._

_"Because the queen should totally come before the king," he stated confidently, certain that this is what she was going to say, and Lorelai turned around to smirk at him._

_"Exactly," Lorelai said teasingly._

_Chris laughed. "I completely agree. After all, the king is nothing without his queen," he said sincerely as Lorelai gave a small smile and opened the door._

_"You know it," Lorelai responded before leading everyone into the house and into the living room after their coats had been removed. "Hi, Dad," she greeted and everyone else followed suit before taking one of the numerous martinis that had been made up and finding a seat._

* * *

_For a while, everything was fine. Emily came in quietly, acknowledging only Rory who reluctantly responded. Then, the doorbell rang. Everyone had been chatting quietly, but now the room went silent as Emily rose with a cold smile on her face to go and greet her guests._

_Lorelai leaned around Rory who was between her mom and dad. "Ha ha, your turn," she teased, although she knew that even Chris's parents would be harder on her than on him. As she heard the approaching footsteps, she sighed silently. **Here we go,** she thought before fixing a smile and standing. After all, it wouldn't be **proper** not to greet guests politely, now would it?_

* * *

_Sarah watched as those people, the Haydens, greeted Lorelai, Rory, and Christopher – and instantly hated them for the way that they spoke to her sister, as if she was just an insolent teenager who was beneath them. She shook her head. **What is wrong with all of these people?**_

_She refocused her attention as she and her family was introduced to the stuck-up people, Straub and Francine. She simply nodded when she heard her name being spoken. The two of them gazed on the Bravermans as if they were something that was tracked in on the gardener's - these people obviously had one – shoes._

_From that point on, the conversation remained on praising Christopher for his "great business success" in California along with a few moderately veiled insults to Lorelai who simply smirked whenever one was launched her way while Christopher sat looking aggravated but concealing it._

_Eventually, the maid came in to inform them that dinner was ready and the 15 of them went into the dining room and took their seats at the long table that had been set up for the night._

_As Straub sat down, he spoke. "So, tell me, Rory, how old are you?" he asked disinterestedly, making Sarah's fury rise._

_"Um… I'm sixteen," Rory answered, glancing at her mom for support, making Lorelai look at her warmly and give her a small smile._

_"Dangerous age for girls," Straub muttered darkly, shooting Lorelai a dirty glance, causing everyone – particularly Richard and excluding Emily – to look at him sharply._

_"Straub," Richard said warningly._

_Straub chose to ignore Richard and continued speaking. "You should take a good look at all of your mother's mistakes. Maybe you might learn a little something. After all, look at her now," he said, really getting into it now as he glared at Lorelai furiously. Lorelai met his gaze steadily, her lavender-blue eyes stormy with anger._

_Christopher tried to intervene. "Hey! Pop, that's enough. Let's, please, try to keep it civil," he pleaded, but both his father and Lorelai ignored him._

_"No, Chris, let him talk. Go ahead, Straub, let's hear it," Lorelai said, smirking, her eyes cold._

_"Well, let's see. What exactly have you done with your life?" Straub asked condescendingly._

_"Well, Straub, I own an inn, actually. It's in Stars Hollow," Lorelai responded hot-headedly._

_Straub just snorted in response and Richard's eyes narrowed. "Straub, I'm going to have to echo Christopher's call for civility."_

_"Well, if you had followed the plan your parents laid out for you, you might have aspired to being more than the owner of an inn," Straub spouted coldly._

_This time Sarah intervened. "Hey! You will not speak to my sister that way!" she said furiously, but the spiteful man simply glared at her._

_"And I wouldn't give a damn about you derailing your own life if you hadn't swept my son along with you," Straub ranted and was interrupted by Zeek, Camille, and Richard this time._

_"Hey!" the three of them spoke in unison, full of indignation._

_Straub continued. "You had that baby and you ruined his life!"_

_Lorelai spoke calmly although her eyes screamed murder. "Rory, go in another room."_

_Rory looked at her mom. "But…"_

_"It'll be okay. Go, go," Lorelai told her, giving her a slight nod._

_Once Rory was gone, Straub continued although he barely seemed to realize that she was gone. "My son was bound for Princeton. Every Hayden male attended Princeton, including myself, but it all ended with Christopher. All because you… **seduced him** into ruining his life!"_

_Christopher stared at his father with hatred and Lorelai laughed coldly. "Ha! **I** ruined his life? It's **my** fault?"_

_Christopher jumped in to continue for her. "It is **not** Lorelai's fault. **We** made the choices that gave us Rory. And you know what?"_

_"It was **all** worth it, because we got **Rory**. And we wouldn't change a damn thing!" Lorelai stood as she raised her voice, her eyes shining dangerously as Christopher stood up next to her._

_As all of this was going on, Sarah shook her head angrily. **What the hell is wrong with these people? How do they not see how amazing she is? What is this – the Friday Night Dinner from Hell?** She thought amazedly and not without sadness for her twin. It seemed a crime that the woman she had come to know as her sister, her twin, who was beautiful, kind, talented, smart, and caring had had to grow up in a world like this._

_"Our lives are the way they are because **we** made them that way. We didn't want to follow your plans for us! We had our own plans!" Christopher finished and Straub glared at him in disgust before turning to his wife._

_"Come along, Francine, we're leaving," he said angrily._

_Richard stood also. "You're not leaving. I'm kicking you out!" he said, raising his voice and following the Haydens out of the room._

_As they left Sarah heard a laugh and looked up to see Emily laughing softly. "What?" she demanded, but the woman only had eyes for Lorelai._

_"Well, well, well. It appears that I'm not the only who agrees that it's all your fault," Emily said snidely while internally wincing. She didn't know why she kept doing this. She really did just want what was best for her but for some reason Lorelai couldn't see that._

_Lorelai shook her head. "That's enough. What is wrong with you? You know what, don't answer that. Let's go everyone. Rory!" she called, leading everyone out into the living room where Rory was sitting and looking stunned._

_"Mom?" she asked hesitantly._

_"Yeah, babe?" Lorelai asked concernedly._

_"Did you really mean all of that – the two of you?" Rory asked hopefully._

_Chris grinned and glanced at Lorelai who smiled softly. "We meant every word," she said sincerely and Rory grinned and jumped into her parents arms for a moment before Lorelai laughed. "Now, come on. Let's blow this popsicle stand."_

_Rory and Chris laughed along with everyone else as they proceeded to the front door, saying goodbye to Richard on the way out. As everyone got into their respective cars, Sarah shook her head again and turned to Julia and Kristina who were riding in the same car as her tonight. "I think we need to talk about all of this – just the three of us and then we need to talk to Lorelai… talk to our sister about it," she said firmly and Kristina and Julia shared a look before nodding their agreement._

_"Definitely," Julia said._

_Kristina nodded once more. "I think we really need to get the whole story."_

_"So, we'll talk to her tomorrow?" Sarah asked as they got in the car. She assumed that they agreed but she really couldn't say because she was watching Lorelai and Christopher. Her sister seemed tired now that she was out of the Gilmore's house and Christopher seemed to notice as well. He approached her and said something before wrapping his arms around her while she leaned into his embrace. Sarah shook her head worriedly. She was afraid this would happen. **First the dinner from hell and now this? **She wished there was something that she could do about it right away, but all that she could do was talk to her sisters the next day. She just hoped that everything would be okay for Lorelai in the end._

_**To Be Continued.**_

_**A/N: So, what did you think? Leave me a review answering the below question to claim your prize of either a Gilmore Girls one-shot (Lorelai-centric) or a Parenthood one-shot (Sarah-centric).**_

_**What book was Sarah obsessed with in high school? I'll give you a hint - Amber copied Sarah's paper on this book and Sarah and Mark read a passage from it in the episode "What's Going On Down There?".**_


	10. Time to Talk

_Disclaimer: I am not the owner of these two magnificent shows…_

_A/N: So, I'm going to go ahead and post the new chapter, obviously. :) Seeing as no one has answered it yet I will still accept answers for the question in the last chapter. Check the A/N at the bottom of Chapter 9 – I added a hint to help you out! :D Also, in my story, Lorelai never agreed to help Luke paint. Anyways, hope you enjoy the new chapter!_

_**Chapter Ten: Time to Talk**_

_The car ride from the Gilmore's had been fairly silent as everyone reflected on what had happened. Once they got back into town, however, Rory told Chris who was driving to stop at Lane's because she had arranged to stay the night there. After Rory had said goodbye, Lorelai and Chris continued on._

* * *

_Lorelai sighed as the car pulled to a stop in her driveway and she and Chris got out of the car and headed inside. "Well, that was just great, wasn't it?" Chris asked wryly, as Lorelai went into the kitchen._

_"Oh, yeah. It was beautiful. We should commemorate it with, like, an oil painting or something. Or…" Lorelai trailed off, coming back from the kitchen and holding a bottle of tequila. "We can commemorate it with a little of this," she finished and Chris grinned._

_"Holding out on me?" he asked playfully, taking the proffered bottle and opening it before taking a sip and handing it back._

_Lorelai laughed softly, taking a large sip of her own. She knew that this probably wasn't a good idea, but after the night that she'd had – she really didn't care. True, if Rory was here she wouldn't drink as much, but Rory wasn't here, so the two old friends and lovers drank._

* * *

_Twenty minutes later, the bottle was half-empty and Lorelai and Chris sat close together on the couch, passing it back and forth as they talked. "You know, even if you hadn't gotten pregnant and everything had gone according to plan I still would have never made it through Princeton," Chris said surely._

_Lorelai shook her head and smiled a little. "Oh, I don't believe that."_

_Christopher sighed. "Yeah, well, that's why you're you and I'm not," he said, and it was true. In his mind, Lorelai was as close to perfection as anyone could get. She was beautiful, smart, talented, witty, kind, caring, strong, and if she loved you, then she gave of herself completely. He knew just what a gift that was because he had experienced firsthand just what a giving person and lover she was for years. Chris shook off his thoughts for a moment and smiled at Lorelai, raising the bottle of tequila which was currently in his possession. "Here's to Rory, the bright spot in all the darkness," he said, taking a drink and handing it to Lorelai._

_"And how," Lorelai said softly, before drinking and looking back at Chris while she set the bottle down. They locked eyes, and Lorelai knew that she shouldn't, they shouldn't, but she couldn't help herself. They both leaned forward and captured each other's lips in a searing kiss. Fueled by need and tequila, they deepened the kiss and stood as they began pulling each other's clothes off before Chris brought Lorelai back down onto the couch. Lorelai's last thought, as Chris's lips made a fiery trail from her lips down neck, was this: **We've really got to stop drinking tequila together.**_

* * *

_Half an hour later, the two sat on separate sides of the couch, pulling their clothes back on. "Wow. Huh," Lorelai said once more in a slightly freaked-out tone._

_"Are you wigged?" Chris asked calmly, even though he was afraid of her answer._

_"Uh, yeah, I'm a little wigged," she responded, pulling her sweater over her head._

_"Okay, yes, it was unexpected, but it was great," he insisted._

_"Unexpected? Chris, this is the next to last thing I thought would ever happen tonight. The last thing being a holy saint guy riding down in a flaming chariot from heaven to announce Armageddon," she said sarcastically._

_"And Stars Hollow's the place where he chooses to make his announcement? I don't think so," Chris said._

_"Christopher," Lorelai said, and that's when Chris knew that she was really serious about this – she only ever used his full name when she was exasperated or upset or angry._

_"Okay," he conceded. "So, I guess we should just get to bed," he said before wincing under Lorelai's harsh smirk and backtracking. "Sorry, bad choice of words. I meant that we should get some sleep, me down here and you upstairs," he said, not without a certain amount of disappointment._

_Lorelai sighed. "Goodnight, Chris," she said, getting up and heading up the stairs, hearing Chris's faint, "Night, Lor" from behind her._

_**Oh, man. I'm so gonna regret this in the morning – even more than I already do,** Lorelai thought and sighed._

* * *

_The next morning at the Dragonfly Sarah, Kristina, and Julia gathered at the picnic tables behind the Inn where they had all had lunch with Lorelai and Rory._

_"So, what do you think we should do?" Julia asked._

_"I think it's obvious that we need to sit down and have a long talk with Lorelai about some things," Kristina said calmly and Sarah nodded._

_"We need to talk to her about everything: her childhood, the Gilmores, Christopher, and everything that's happened since she had Rory," Sarah confirmed._

_Satisfied that they had a plan, they headed over to Lorelai's house, completely unaware of what they would overhear when they got there._

* * *

_On Saturday morning, Lorelai woke and headed downstairs reluctantly. She knew that she would have to face Chris eventually, but she wished it didn't have to be before she even had her coffee. However, lucky for her, Chris had anticipated that she would need the delicious black liquid even more than usual and already had some prepared when she came into the kitchen._

_"Hey," Lorelai greeted quietly after a moment of silence as she finished off her first cup of coffee._

_"Hi," Chris returned hesitantly. "So… last night."_

_"Ah… last night was the Hindenburg and Chernobyl combined," she said firmly._

_"Just checking," he said._

_"First your father blaming me for basically everything wrong in the world. Then, Emily basically agreeing with Straub and blaming for disgracing her. And, **then**, you and me – oh, boy!" she said with a fake smile on her face._

_Chris gave a small smile. He expected this to happen, and unfortunately he was right. "Don't say it like that."_

_"Stupid, dumb," she elaborated._

_"Much better," he said with slight sarcasm._

_"I don't know what's worse: The fact that we slept together, or the fact that I let it happen **again**," she said, disappointed with herself._

_"Lor," he said, trying to get her attention and she paused._

_"What?" she asked exasperatedly._

_"I wanna marry you," he rushed out, watching her to see what her reaction would be._

_Lorelai paused for a moment in shock. Sure, he had proposed before, but never at as bad a time as this. "And the hits just keep on coming," she said slowly, and closed her eyes._

_"Come on, just think about this before you make a - ," was as far as he got before Lorelai cut him off._

_"You are insane. You have flipped your lid. Charlie Manson is freaked out by you right now!" she exclaimed._

_"Lor, come on, we're already a family," he said, trying to convince her._

_"Who, Chris? Who's a family?" she asked, not allowing him to answer. "Christopher… we cannot get married. I'm sorry, but this is how it has to be. We were never meant to be together. We just don't know how to stay apart, but I think that it's time we started learning. This can't happen again, Chris. This **won't** happen again. We've always been there for each other as friends, Chris, and I want us to keep being friends. I'm always going to need you to be my oldest friend, and you're always going to be in my life because of Rory. So, we need to be friends – just friends, Chris," she said softly. She always thought that when they finally had this conversation – and she had known that they would at some point – that she would feel more sadness and less… relief._

_Chris gave a small, sad smile. "You're right, I know. I just never wanted to admit it. So… friends?" he asked quietly. He was afraid that this would happen, but deep down he knew that it was necessary and if this is what she wanted then he would do it._

_Lorelai smiled back and took his outstretched hand. "Friends," she confirmed._

_The two of them parted ways as they both went to change and Chris got packed, both totally unaware that Lorelai's sisters had overheard their entire conversation. Sarah looked at her sisters, seeing her own surprise reflected in their eyes. "So, maybe we should just wait out here until he leaves," Sarah suggested and her sisters quickly agreed._

* * *

_Twenty minutes later, Rory had arrived home and now she and Lorelai were out front saying goodbye to Christopher. "Call us when you get home, okay?" Rory asked, disappointed that her dad was leaving again._

_"I will," he said, smiling._

_"And call more," she added as she hugged him goodbye and he laughed._

_"I will," he promised._

_"I love you," Rory said and he smiled once more._

_"I love you, too, kiddo," he said before turning to Lorelai._

_"Goodbye, Lor," he said softly, and everyone but Rory knew that he wasn't just saying goodbye for now – he was saying goodbye to the possibility of them._

_Lorelai smiled and they kissed gently for a moment. "Lorelai," she corrected. "Goodbye, Christopher," she said as he got on his bike and looked back at his girls for a moment before slipping on his helmet and speeding off._

_Lorelai sighed and Rory turned to her. "You guys aren't going to be together anymore, are you?" she asked calmly._

_Lorelai looked over at her and shook her head. "No, we're not," she responded._

_Rory gave a sad smile at her mom's words. "That's what I thought. He wanted you to marry him, didn't he?" she asked her mom._

_Lorelai sighed once more. "Yeah, he did. Hey, you okay?" Lorelai asked concernedly._

_Rory nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay. Hey, I'm gonna go and meet Lane at Luke's for breakfast, okay?" she asked and when Lorelai nodded she headed back into town._

_Sarah and the others looked at each other from where they were concealed by the side of the house. "Now?" Julia asked._

_Sarah nodded. "Now."_

_The three of them quickly approached Lorelai, who was walking up the porch steps and about to go back inside. "Hey," Kristina called and Lorelai turned to face her with a smile although she looked a little surprised to see them._

_Sarah, Kristina, and Julia glanced at each other for a second before Sarah stepped forward. "I think it's time we talked," she said and Lorelai quirked a smile and nodded for them to follow her into the house._

_**Well,** Sarah sighed,** here goes nothing.**_

_**To Be Continued.**_

_**A/N: So, what did you think? Good? Bad? Leave me a review and let me know. And, now, here is the question for this chapter – and remember that I am still accepting answers for the question from the previous chapter! :D**_

_**On Gilmore Girls, in the episode "French Twist", Lorelai says, "Well, the French might be rude, but - ,"**_

_**Now, finish that sentence to claim your prize! :D**_


	11. Talking

_Disclaimer: They still don't belong to me…_

_A/N: Sorry! I know it's been a while since I updated. I've just had a lot going on. I'll try to be better about my updates. Anyway, I hope you all like the new chapter which is dedicated to all my wonderful readers! You guys rock! :D_

_**Chapter Eleven: Talking**_

_Sarah followed Lorelai into the house with Kristina and Julia right behind her. She was actually really excited to finally really talk to Lorelai._

_"The kitchen fine?" Lorelai asked, leading them that way._

_"Sure," Sarah agreed. "Eating breakfast?" she asked._

_"Drinking coffee," Lorelai responded, grabbing the full coffee cup that was sitting on the table and grinning before taking a sip and sighing. All three of Lorelai's sisters laughed at this. They still weren't quite used to how much coffee Lorelai drank on a regular basis._

_Once they were all seated and Lorelai had poured them each a cup of the delicious coffee, Lorelai gave a small smile and tipped her head a bit to the side. "So, you wanted to talk?" she asked calmly. She had known that they would eventually want a more in-depth accounting of her past, but she was still somewhat uneasy at the thought of sharing so much with them, even if they were family – or maybe because they were family._

_Sarah took a deep breath before answering. "Yeah, I mean, obviously we can't expect you to just tell us everything, but we thought that it would be really helpful if we could all just talk for a while so that we could get to know you better," she said quickly and Lorelai paused for a moment, clearly slightly uncomfortable with the thought of talking so openly about her past._

_Surprising everyone, it was Julia who eased Lorelai's discomfort. "It's okay. We're family; you can trust us. No matter what you say, we're not going anywhere. We just want to get to know you, and that includes us knowing about your past and how you came to be where you are. That is, if you're willing to tell us about it," Julia said calmingly. She had seen the unease in her sister's expression and somehow she just knew what to say to help calm her._

_Lorelai's eyes widened a bit before she smiled. "Thanks," she said sincerely, before taking a deep breath. "So, where would you like to start?" she asked. She still wasn't thrilled to be talking about this, but she was willing to tell them if they really wanted to hear it._

_"What was it really like for you – growing up in that house?" Kristina asked. She really couldn't imagine it. Even the idea of growing up there was completely incomprehensible to her._

_Lorelai sighed. "It was… I'm not even sure how to describe it. I guess the easiest way to start would be to compare the way I grew up to the way that the three of you grew up. When you were little and you got hurt, what did your parents do?" she asked._

_"They took care of me," they answered at the same time, and then Sarah spoke timidly. "Wait, what about you?" she asked._

_Lorelai shrugged. "I got told to go tell the maid and she would fix whatever it was," she said simply and she could see the surprise and indignation in their eyes. "When you were sick, who took care of you, what happened?"_

_Only Kristina answered this time. "My mother took care of me. I stayed in bed and watched movies. Sometimes if I was really sick, she would make me homemade chicken noodle soup," she replied._

_"When I was sick, the maid would bring me my medicine and take my temperature, but other than that I was expected to go on like normal. I had the German measles in fifth grade, and I still had to sit through cocktails and a twelve-course dinner at Emily and Richard's annual Christmas party," Lorelai said and watched her sisters' eyes widen in shock._

_"How could they do that?" Sarah asked, stunned that anyone could be so insensitive to a sick child._

_Lorelai gave a soft, humorless laugh and shook her head. "I grew up in a different world than the three of you. To really understand what I mean, you need to know something. In Hartford society, image and wealth and status are everything. The different levels of social standing are something like a royal hierarchy, and the Gilmores are among the elites of Hartford society," she explained. "These people, all of them, expect nothing less than perfection."_

_Julia looked confused, as did Sarah and Kristina. "How can they expect so much? No one can be perfect," she said._

_Lorelai smiled a little. "I know that and you know that, but they truly believe that with all of their money and status that it can be achieved. And as the daughter of Emily and Richard Gilmore, or so I thought, they expected me to be perfect and to follow the path they laid down in front of me. I was to wear expensive dresses and be polite. I was taught poise, grace, elegance, posture, and how to maintain proper spacing and distance. They expected me to be the perfect child, to stay out of trouble and go to cotillion and go to Yale. Then, after I graduated, I was to marry a wealthy young man who had also attended Yale and be the perfect wife and mother. They had my entire life planned out for me; it was all very by-the-numbers," Lorelai shook her head a little. "I was… never very good with numbers," she stated, her eyebrows slightly furrowed in concentration._

_Sarah couldn't believe it. It was all so surreal. **I can't believe they really expected her to live her life the way that they wanted her to. They were so focused on controlling her that they never bothered to find out what she wanted…** Sarah though furiously._

_"The problem was," Lorelai continued. "I never wanted that life, and I was in no way perfect. I hated all of those dresses and the parties they dragged me to. I'm and was self-aware enough to know that I was and out of control child. I was rebellious and wild and angry at the entire world. I was also arrogant and sarcastic and prideful, and I knew it," she said seriously, looking each of her sisters in the eye as they looked at her curiously, though they remained silent. "I tried so many times to tell them how I felt, but it was like… We spoke different languages. I was talking, but they weren't listening, and I had absolutely no interest in anything that they said to me. All in all, my childhood became simple, routine. I went to school, I came home, we ate some ridiculously expensive dinner, we argued and yelled, they went to bed; I snuck out the window. That's all there was to it," she finished, shaking her head a little to clear it of all the arguments that rang in her mind._

_Sarah, Kristina, and Julia all looked shocked and saddened. Lorelai spoke calmly, but they knew that it must have bothered her growing up like that. "I'm sorry," Kristina voiced what they were all thinking._

_Lorelai smiled and shook her head. "Don't be. As bad as it was, I wouldn't change anything that happened, because then I wouldn't be where I am today," she said and they smiled wonderingly at her._

_Sarah gave a small smile before speaking. "What about Christopher? How does he fit into all of this?" she asked cautiously, thoughts of what she had seen and heard between Lorelai and Christopher flashing through her mind._

_Lorelai sighed a little before smiling softly. "Christopher was… I've known Christopher since before I was old enough to remember. Our parents first brought us together when we were two years old. He's my oldest friend, but he was so much more than that for so long…" she trailed off. "When we were kids, he was my friend, my confidant; my fellow troublemaker. We did everything together. We knew each other's every thought, every secret. If we hadn't had each other to grow up with… I don't think either of us would have been the same," she said, smiling as she remembered the simple camaraderie that they shared as kids._

_Sarah and her sisters exchanged a glance, surprised by this news. They had no idea that they had known each other that well or that long. Then, Sarah smiled, glad that Lorelai had had Christopher with her as she grew up. It sounded like he had been a really good friend to her._

_"Then, as we went into our middle school years, we started to become competitive with one another. We were still best friends, but we were always competing. We knew each other so well and we could challenge each other in ways that no one else could. We both strove to be better so that we might gain an advantage over the other, but we were always well-matched," Lorelai grinned as she remembered how they used to tease each other as they would compete. "And then," she went on, "when we were teenagers, it was like everything fell into place."_

_When Lorelai paused, Julia interjected. "How did it start?" she asked curiously. She already knew how it ended – she had witnessed it end. Now, she wanted to know how it began._

_Lorelai smiled. "It was one afternoon after school. I was with a group of friends and I could see him across the parking lot with a couple of other people, and I walked right up to him and I kissed him. Then, when he looked at me, I could see the question in his eyes and when I answered him I said 'I just wanted to know what it would be like.' After that, I walked away, and he's been following after me ever since," she replied with a slight smile at their shocked but amused expressions. "Still, even though I was the one that started it, he always tried to do everything the right way. It may sound strange to say, but he was a perfect gentleman."_

_Sarah was stunned. "What do you mean?" she asked and Lorelai laughed._

_"I mean that the entire time that we were dating, my room was never without a bouquet of red roses. Like I said, we knew everything about each other, so he knew to bring red roses and white chocolate. He opened doors, he carried my books, and he was always there when I wanted him. He was very nearly the perfect boyfriend. We were so much alike… We were rebellious, angry, arrogant; impulsive. We weren't just boyfriend and girlfriend. We were friends, confidants, lovers," Lorelai finished, smiling wryly._

_"And then… Rory?" Kristina asked. She was glad that they were talking. It felt good to know better what it had been like for Lorelai when she grew up._

_"Rory…" Lorelai smiled. "I told you that Christopher was very nearly the perfect boyfriend and he was. But, like I said earlier, I never did like perfection. The truth is, although Christopher was all of those things… I never loved him, not really," she confessed and they looked at her curiously. "Christopher was wonderful, yes, but he was also weak. He gave in too easily; he wanted to be led, but I wanted him to take charge. I wanted him to be as strong as I knew he could be. We were both impulsive, but I had a determination that he never did. I didn't know what I wanted, but whatever it was I wanted to work for it. Christopher… never did like to work. And then, when I had Rory, it was like I was seeing things clearly for the first time in my life. I had to be responsible, I had to be the adult and make the decisions; I had to make sure that everything was okay. I knew that I couldn't raise her there, in that house, the way that I had been raised, and I knew that Christopher wasn't ready to be a father. He was still so enthralled with the thought of being able to do and go where he pleased. So, I did it on my own. I took Rory and I ran. He was the only one I said goodbye to when I left, and he stood there and watched me go just like I knew he would. And I've never held a grudge against him for it because I think I needed to be by myself when I ran. If I had had Christopher with me then I wouldn't have learned to trust my instincts and do what needed to be done the way that I did and I wouldn't be who I am today," Lorelai finished, before leaning back slightly in her chair and waiting for their reaction._

_They were, once again, stunned. Now that they essentially had the whole story behind Lorelai and Christopher's relationship, they felt like they could really understand why they had been together so long and why it had taken them so long to really say goodbye. They also felt like they could understand Lorelai better now than they had before and they marveled anew at the woman sitting before them. She was incredible. She possessed a strength that they had never seen before and they were in awe of her. She admitted to all of her shortcomings, true, but they only served to make her all the more captivating. They each shook their heads a bit._

_Sarah was the first to speak. "I think… I understand a little better, now," she said and Kristina and Julia nodded._

_"I can't even imagine doing something like what you did," Julia said and smiled._

_Kristina was the last to speak and she looked at Sarah and Julia with a question in her eyes first. "You should know that we were on our way to see you this morning, and when we got here we heard you and Chris arguing… We heard everything and we saw the two of you say goodbye when he left," she confessed, hoping desperately that Lorelai wouldn't be angry._

_Lorelai felt her eyes widen. They were there. They heard her and Chris arguing. They saw them say goodbye. She couldn't believe it. She started to feel hurt and betrayed and mad but before she spoke she thought for a moment. "Why?" she asked and none of them needed to ask 'Why what?'_

_Julia answered this time. "Because we didn't want to interrupt and because we just… we wanted to understand better," she tried to explain. They really hadn't been trying to spy on her. They just were so frustrated by all of the things they still didn't know about her and they couldn't pass up the opportunity to learn a little bit more about her._

_Lorelai paused for a moment before replying. "I can believe that you didn't mean any harm, but…" Lorelai smiled a little, "next time, I would appreciate it if you would let me know that you're there."_

_Sarah grinned. "Definitely," she promised._

_They all laughed a little before glancing at the clock and seeing that it was almost 11:30. "Why don't we all go grab something to eat? Then, we can come back here and watch a movie?" Lorelai proposed and when her sisters agreed they all rose. "To Luke's!" Lorelai called, leading the way to the door and Sarah laughed._

_**This was good. I feel a lot better now that we at least know a little bit more about her,** Sarah thought happily before looking up when Lorelai called her name. "Yeah?" she asked warily when she saw her sister grinning at her._

_"Tomorrow, it's your turn – all of you," she warned before turning around and going out the door._

_Sarah, Kristina, and Julia all shared a glance that clearly said one thing: Uh-oh._

_**To Be Continued.**_

_**A/N: So, was it good/bad/in-between? Leave me a review and let me know! :D No one knew the answer to the quote from the last chapter so I'll tell you. The answer was: "Well, the French might be rude, but they know how to make a very cozy bed." Now, the question for this chapter.**_

_**On Parenthood, how many men has Sarah dated during the duration of the show?**_

_**Answer the question correctly and claim your prize!**_


	12. Adam, Lost, Law School, and Intoxication

_Disclaimer: They're still not mine…_

_A/N: Sorry that it's been about a week since I updated, but I'm on break from school now and I should be able to update a couple times this week. Anyway, here's the new chapter – I hope you like it! :)_

_**Chapter Twelve: Adam, Lost Children, Law School, and Intoxication**_

_After their talk the night before, all four sisters were feeling closer. Lorelai was relieved that she had finally told someone what it was really like for her to grow up in the Gilmore house. Sure, she had told Sookie some of it and Rory knew a good portion of the story, but she had never been so completely and totally honest when speaking about her past and it was a relief to finally be able to do so. Sarah, Kristina, and Julia, however, were nervous. They were extremely glad and touched that Lorelai had confided in them and they had spoken about all of it with Camille and she had been just as happy. It was wonderful, but now they were going to have to talk and they understood why Lorelai had been nervous the day before. Camille was going to join them this time – that only made them more nervous._

* * *

_Lorelai arrived at the inn and, instead of going inside like she normally would, she walked behind the inn and followed on of the trails to the picnic tables where she and Rory had first had breakfast with all of the Bravermans, with their family. Lorelai smiled. It was becoming more and more natural to think of them that way – as her family._

_She was brought out of her thoughts when she heard the voices of Sarah, Kristina, Julia, and Camille greeting her and she smiled and returned their greeting before she sat down. "Now," she said teasingly but with a sincere smile, "it's your turn. Who wants to go first?"_

_They all laughed. Kristina looked at the others and gave a small, semi-dramatic sigh. "I guess I'll start," she said. "Well, I grew up in a pretty normal home. I was always a good student and I never really got in trouble. I was never much for guys…" she trailed off and Sarah and Julia grinned at each other._

_"Until Adam," they said in unison and Lorelai laughed, while Camille just shook her head in amusement and smiled warmly at her daughter-in-law._

_"Yes, until Adam. He was my first real love. We dated for our last two years of high school and we were together all through college. Then, right after we graduated, he proposed and I said yes, obviously. Adam was, is… amazing. He's always there whenever someone needs him and he would do anything for his family. He's the guy who's always willing to lend a hand and he's the most selfless person I've ever met. So, I said yes and we got married. And it hasn't always been easy, but somehow we've managed to make it through," she finished before adding in a loving tone. "And, of course, we have Haddie and Max and we love them more than anything else in the entire world."_

_Lorelai smiled. She was happy for Kristina and she felt like she understood Adam a little better. She was glad to call him her brother, even if it still sounded a bit weird. "I love Rory the same way. She's my world and I don't know what I would do without her. I love her more than anything," she agreed with her sister-in-law before realizing what she said and looking at Camille, her mother, and seeing the sadness that passed through her eyes._

_Camille noticed her look and gave a small smile. "I feel the same way about you and all of my children and my grandchildren, and that includes Rory," she said softly. And it was true. She loved Lorelai and Rory just as much as the rest of her family even though she hadn't been a part of their lives until recently. Rory was her granddaughter and she loved her. And Lorelai… Lorelai was her lost angel, finally returned to her and it suddenly occurred to her that perhaps she hadn't related that to Lorelai. "When you and Sarah were born," she began, glancing between her two beautiful twin daughters. "Your father and I were overjoyed," she said and felt a bit sad at the slight shock that went through Lorelai's eyes when she called Zeek her father. But the sadness lifted when she saw the slight warmth and happiness that followed it before they disappeared behind a calm, curious façade. And she felt the sadness again. Her daughter, her beautiful daughter, had never known a parent's love for their child and it killed her to know that she had been deprived of so much throughout her childhood. She shook her head a bit and forced herself to go on as the memories of the night she was speaking of washed over her. "Then, when you were kidnapped… We were devastated. We lost a part of ourselves that day and we never got it back until we found you. We had four healthy, happy children and we loved them more than anything, but we should have had five," she said softly. Then, seeing the slight flicker of uncertainty that went through her daughter's eyes she suddenly knew what she needed to say. "We never forgot you. You were in our thoughts every single day. We thought of you on holidays, we celebrated your birthday when we celebrated Sarah's, and we missed you and loved you every single day that went by without you being there," she said sincerely, her eyes welling up with tears of love and pain and joy that she was finally reunited with her precious, missing child. Wiping away the tears, she stood before going over to Lorelai and opening her arms. Again, she saw the uncertainty and even fear in her gaze but she also saw the love and joy in her beautiful lavender-blue eyes._

_Sarah, Kristina, and Julia stayed silent. They knew that both Camille and Lorelai needed this. Camille needed to know that Lorelai was willing to accept her love and Lorelai needed to be reassured that Camille was simply willing to accept her for **her** and not for any other reason._

_Lorelai hesitated for a moment when Camille opened her arms to her. She had never had anyone talk to her like this. It was completely new to her, and, quite frankly, it scared her. It scared her that she already loved Camille and all of the Bravermans. She would do anything for them – and it scared her that they had so much power over her. They made her happy just by being there, but that meant that they make her just as unhappy, could hurt her just as much, by leaving her, by rejecting her. But she loved them. She loved them just as much as she loved Rory – and that was something that she never thought would happen. And when she heard Camille, when she heard her **mother's** words, she was filled with an overwhelming sense of joy and contentment. And she could have heeded the uncertainty and fear that she felt and fought against the feelings that flooded through her at the sight of her mother's open arms. But she didn't want to fight them, not anymore – and she had been fighting against the feelings that all of the Bravermans had stirred in her – and she stood and wrapped her arms around her mother and felt herself relax into that loving embrace for the first time._

_Camille was overjoyed as she reluctantly pulled back from the embrace and wrapped one arm around Lorelai's shoulders as they sat back down. She couldn't believe that her daughter had allowed her to hold her in her arms the way that she had longed to ever since she found out where she had ended up after being abducted. She was even more shocked by Lorelai's next words, spoken with slight hesitation but also full of love._

_Lorelai thought for a moment before she spoke. She was fairly sure that she knew what Camille's response would be, and she knew that this is what she wanted. "Would you mind if I called you Mom?" she asked with just a hint of nervousness as she waited for her answer._

_Camille's eyes widened in surprise before a smile slowly formed on her face. She couldn't believe it. It was like a dream come true to hear those words. "I would be honored. You never even had to ask. No matter who raised you or where you grew up, you are my daughter and I love you in the same way that I love your brothers and sisters," she said sincerely and this time she saw none of the hesitation or fear that had clouded Lorelai's gaze before. Now there was simply love, always love._

_"Thank you, Mom," Lorelai responded softly, smiling. She had never felt so love and unquestionable acceptance from anyone but Rory before. And she wasn't going to fight it anymore. She turned back to her sisters. "So, who's next?" she asked with a small smile still on her face and they smiled back at her._

_Julia looked at Sarah and saw the slight pleading in her eyes and she gave her older sister a small nod. "I guess I'll go next. Well, obviously, I grew up with a wonderful family," she paused to smile here. "Our wonderful family. And, then, when I grew up, I decided to become a lawyer. I just… always wanted to help people and I thought that if I became a lawyer that that would be a good to do something… good. Honestly, I love it. And after I went to college I met Joel, and… He is just the most amazing guy that I've ever met. He's so sweet and kind and good. I love him," she smiled as she tried to explain, but Lorelai seemed to understand because she nodded. Julia was actually really relieved that they were doing this. It may not have been a big deal, really, but it felt good just to talk everything out. Unfortunately, she had a feeling that Sarah wouldn't feel the same way, because out of all them she was the only one besides Lorelai that had really, truly bad things in her past._

_Lorelai smiled at her younger sister. She was so sincere and good that Lorelai couldn't help but love her. Then, she turned to her twin, the only who hadn't spoken yet. "So, that just leaves you," she said quietly and she could see the nervousness in Sarah's eyes, so she stood and walked around the picnic table so that she could sit next to her sister. She held out one hand on top of the table and Sarah put her hand in Lorelai's. "It's okay. No matter what you say, I will care about you just as much as I do right now," she paused and then said sincerely. "I will love you just as much then as I do now. We're sisters, twins, and nothing is going to change that," she promised and Sarah smiled and gave a small nod before taking a deep breath._

_"It's like Julia said, we grew up with a wonderful family and in a loving home. But I found a different path than hers – a more dangerous path than hers. I found Seth," Sarah said and paused as images of her ex-husband flashed through her mind._

_Lorelai was intrigued. Sarah hadn't said much about her ex-husband before and she was curious, although she could already tell that Seth had brought her sister a lot of grief and pain and it hurt her to think that he had hurt her so badly._

_"Seth was a musician. Seth was a drug addict. Seth was an alcoholic. And I loved him, even though I knew it was wrong. I knew about every single one of his problems and still I loved him. When I first met Seth, we were sixteen. We partied, we smoke; we drank. We were completely out of control, and I'm sure I caused Mom to stress more than enough because of everything that I did," she said giving a small, wry smile while her eyes seemed to be begging forgiveness and she could see in her mother's eyes and her answering smile that she was forgiven._

_Lorelai paused for a moment. She thought she understood but she wanted to hear it from Sarah. "Why?" she asked in an understanding tone._

_Sarah gave a soft, humorless laugh. "Because being with Seth… It was wrong and it was dangerous, and I knew it. But… It also just gave me this feeling of being free and powerful and intoxicating. Being with him was like being on top of the world. He just had this way of making people feel all-important. But in the end I came to realize that it just wasn't worth it. He wasn't worth it. Unfortunately, I didn't realize it until I had already married him, but after we had Amber and Drew… I realized just how bad it was, just how destructive **he** was. So, I took the kids and I left," she finished and drew a shaky breath. She was looking down. She had believed Lorelai earlier when she said that this wouldn't change anything about the way that she felt about her, but now she wasn't so sure. She shook her head a bit, before forcing herself to raise her head and meet her sister's eyes. What she saw there filled her with amazed relief. She didn't see the horror and disgust that she had feared. She saw understanding and concern and, most of all, she saw love._

_Lorelai couldn't believe just how strong her sister was to have gone through all of that. It just made her love her more. She could see the relief that Sarah felt when their eyes met and she released her sister's hand to lean forward and wrap her in an embrace. She thought about everything that she had just learned and she was amazed. And then she realized something: After everything that they had talked about and how much better they knew each other… they actually felt like her family. Lorelai laughed and everyone looked at her curiously as she shook her head a bit._

_"What is it?" Kristina asked._

_"It's just… for the first time with all of you… actually, for the first time in my life other than with Rory, I feel this sense of connection and just… family," Lorelai tried to explain and they smiled at her, in total agreement with her statement._

_Everyone was silent for a moment before Camille spoke. "How about we have lunch together, then maybe you can spend some time with your father and your brothers?" she suggested, speaking to Lorelai._

_Lorelai paused for only a moment before she nodded. "I'd like that," she responded truthfully and they all got up to head inside. And, somehow, surrounded by her family and with the sun shining overhead, she felt like maybe she finally had somewhere that she really belonged._

_**To Be Continued.**_

_**A/N: So, it's occurred to me that I've been neglecting Rory and the rest of the Bravermans besides Sarah, Kristina, Julia, and Camille and I hope to change that over the next few chapters. Anyway, let me know what you think about the chapter! :) So, the question for this chapter is:**_

_**Which food from her parents' annual Christmas dinner does Lorelai mention that she loves? Hint: It's mentioned in Season 1, Episode – Forgiveness and Stuff.**_


	13. The Lucky Ones

_Disclaimer: Nope, still don't belong to me…_

_A/N: And here it is. Lucky number 13. :D So, this chapter is from Rory's perspective and takes place during the time when Lorelai is spending some time with Zeek, Adam, Crosby, and Joel. Also, I don't know if I mentioned it before, but I am operating under the assumption that Max does NOT have Asperger's, simply because there is no way that I could write for his character otherwise. Anyway, hope you like it!_

_**Chapter Thirteen: The Lucky Ones**_

_Rory smiled, waving goodbye once more as her mom went out the door of the Dragonfly with Zeek, Adam, Crosby, and Joel. They were actually really nice people – and they **were** family, after all – so she was sure that her mom would have a good time. She turned around._

_In the meantime, Rory would be spending some time with her cousins, who were standing behind her. "So, what do you guys want to do?" she asked, still slightly uncomfortable. It was getting better; she just needed to spend some more time with them, which is exactly what today was for._

_"Can we go outside?" Max asked, seeming excited at the prospect and Rory smiled at the younger boy._

_"Sure, as long as it's okay with everyone else?" she asked and the others all made sounds of agreement. "Okay, then," she said and led the way out and around the back of the Dragonfly._

_Once they were there, Max immediately started wandering around, taking in all of his surroundings. Drew and Amber went and sat at one of the picnic tables, leaving Haddie standing with Rory._

_Haddie was the first to break the silence. "So, what grade are you in?" she asked curiously, and Rory smiled, realizing that she was in the presence of another studious child like herself._

_"I'm in 10th grade, what about you?" she asked and saw the girl's eyes light up._

_"I'm in 7th right now," Haddie said proudly._

_Something occurred to Rory then. "Hey, uh… how are you getting your schoolwork done, here? You guys have been here for a while now," she pointed out, curious._

_Haddie laughed a little. "Mom and Dad have been getting it faxed here. The school sends it, I do the work, and then Mom faxes it back," she finished._

_"Ah. I get the feeling that you enjoy school, right?" she guessed and her cousin nodded and grinned. "Me, too. So, what's your favorite subject in school?" she asked and the two girls began discussing what they liked the most about school and what they disliked._

_A while later, Max called his sister over to see something. Rory then walked over the picnic table where her other two cousins were sitting. "Hey," she smiled and Amber returned her smile while Drew looked a little uncomfortable and mumbled a quick greeting before getting up._

_"I'm gonna go sit down by the pond, okay?" Drew said, and when Rory and Amber agreed he walked off before sitting about ten feet away from the water._

_"Is he always so shy?" Rory asked, and the question could have come off as rude except for her kind, understanding tone._

_Amber gave a short laugh, staring at her little brother. "Yeah, pretty much. He kind of inherited our mom's low self-esteem," she said, shrugging while Rory looked at curiously._

_"What do you mean?" she asked cautiously, not wanting to upset her cousin if she didn't want to talk about it._

_Amber looked at the older girl for a moment before answering. "Well, Mom isn't the most confident person. She is strong and she always finds a way to make it through, but she has a hard time seeing that for herself. She's made a lot of mistakes and she has a hard time acknowledging all of the good things that she's done as well," she tried to explain, but she wasn't sure that she was doing the best job, so she was glad when Rory nodded and seemed to get what she was saying._

_"So, she really only tends to see the bad that she's done and not the good?" she asked just to be sure._

_Amber nodded. "Yeah, the only difference is that Drew's low self-esteem just makes him extremely shy and quiet," she clarified. Actually, she usually wasn't one to talk so much to someone she didn't know, but she was surprised to discover that she actually liked Rory. She seemed pretty cool._

_"What about you?' Rory asked, turning her attention to the thirteen-year-old who looked at her startled._

_"What do you mean?" Amber asked, tilting her head a little to the side._

_Rory laughed. "I just meant, what do you like? What do you do for fun?"_

_Amber paused for a moment before smiling again. "I like to play the guitar. I'm actually not that bad and I've always been really interested in music and stuff like that," she said, grinning for a moment before sobering as the reason for her initial interest in music presented itself in her mind. "Actually... my dad is a musician."_

_Rory picked up on her cousin's change of mood. "Your dad's not around much, huh?" she asked sympathetically._

_Amber shook her head. "But, honestly. . . I really don't mind. He'll always be my dad, but I don't need him in my life. I have Mom; that's enough," she shrugged. "Your dad's not around much either, right?"_

_"No, I see him maybe once or twice a year. I always really enjoy having him here, but I'm like you. I have my mom and I don't really need anyone else. She's all I need," Rory smiled, thinking of all of the things that her mom had done for her, had sacrificed for her._

_Amber smiled, watching her older cousin. It was official: she really did like Rory. She was a good student, she was kind, and she seemed like a really good listener. Amber decided that she would really like to be good friends with the older girl. She was brought out of her thoughts when Rory laughed lightly. "What?" she asked._

_Rory shook her head a little. "When people think of the picture-perfect family, they think of two parents and a couple of kids. And they would probably consider families like mine and yours, ours, to be a little incomplete. But maybe we're the lucky ones. We both only really have one parent who is consistently in our lives, but our moms would do anything for us. They love us more than anything and they would do anything to protect us. So, even though neither of us have that great of dads, maybe we're the lucky ones after all," she said, looking at the girl sitting across from her who had a thoughtful look and a smile on her face._

_Amber nodded. "I think you're right. Besides, our individual families and our family as a whole... they may be different, but if you really think about it they're really not incomplete. We have our moms, our cousins, our aunts and uncles, and we have our grandparents. So, our family isn't really missing anything, it's just like us – unique," she said and when Rory grinned at her in agreement, she grinned back._

_The two girls turned back to facing the pond where Drew had leaned back in the grass and was looking up at the sky with a smile on his face. They had a sneaking suspicion that he had heard their conversation, and they thought that he agreed with their conclusion. It was true. Some people might look at their large, unusual family and say that it was missing something or incomplete in some way. But they knew the truth: They weren't broken, they were unique and they had everything they needed so long as they had each other. They were the lucky ones._

_**To Be Continued.**_

_**A/N: Phew, another chapter down. I know that this one is kind of short, but for this one I really just wanted to focus on the conversations between Rory and Haddie and Rory and Amber. Rory was never really meant to have that big of an impact on the story, so she will tend to fade into the background. Next chapter, I'm gonna have some Lorelai-Rory interaction. I'm thinking I'll probably start wrapping up the story in the next chapter and finish it in chapter fifteen so I'm desperate for input and ideas on how to end it. So, with that in mind: Review, Review, Review, please! :) And, now, here's the question.**_

_**On Parenthood, what were both Sarah and Mark addicted to? Hint: Mark finds a pack of these in Sarah's bed in Season 3.**_

_**A/N (10/9/2012): What? No one knows? Come on, it's easy! They're white, cylindrical, you can find them on the ground all over the place... Keep trying! :D**_


	14. Time to Stay

_Disclaimer: Still not mine..._

_A/N: Okay, so, I was really surprised that no one knew the answer to the last chapter which is why I'm still going to accept the correct answer from the first person who knows it. :D Anyway, like I said in the last chapter, the chapter after this one will probably be the finale. So, I'm gonna try to wrap it up in a good way. Maybe a little family celebration, hm... :P_

_**Chapter Fourteen: Time to... Stay?**_

_It had now been 1 month and 3 weeks since the Bravermans had arrived and turned Lorelai and Rory's world upside down. And you know what? Everything seemed to be settled, even though Lorelai knew it couldn't last. That's why she knew that she shouldn't have been surprised when, after the entire family (even Richard had been invited since it was Friday and he was presently engaged in conversation with Julia about some aspect of the law) had had a picnic dinner behind the Inn, Zeek and Camille approached her alone with solemn looks on their faces._

_Lorelai immediately went into worry-mode at the looks on her parents' faces. "What's wrong?" she asked and they glanced at each other before looking back to her and giving small smiles._

_"Nothing's wrong, sweetheart," Zeek said in that unique voice of his, that was at once rough and smooth._

_Camille gave a small smile and she had a mischievous glint in her eyes that her daughter instantly picked up on. "Nothing's wrong. We just wanted to talk to you about something."_

_"Okay," Lorelai responded, still being cautious until she knew what was going on._

_"It's just..." Camille hesitated. "You know, we told you that we had only planned on staying for two months?" she asked and Lorelai grimaced slightly but nodded. "Well, we'll have been here two months next Friday..." she trailed off._

_Lorelai took a deep breath. **I didn't think it would be so hard. I mean, after all, I've only known them for a couple of months – less than two months, actually! Still... they're family... Stop it,** she scolded herself. **It's not like you're never going to see or speak to the again! **"So, you're gonna be going back home, then," she had to force the words out, although just from the sound of her voice no one would ever guess the pain that was ripping through her at the thought of being parted from her family._

_Camille and Zeek glanced at each other again and smiled for a second before looking back to their daughter. They thought everything was going wonderfully. Lorelai had started calling them "Mom" and "Dad" and Rory even called them "Grandma" and "Grandpa Zeek". Still, they found themselves a little bit nervous now that the time had come to tell their daughter about their idea. "We've been thinking about that actually," Camille began and she saw the flash of sadness in her daughter's eyes before she could conceal it and she felt that sadness mirrored inside of her._

_"And we've been thinking that Berkeley doesn't feel so much like home anymore, so..." Zeek trailed off and Lorelai looked confused for a moment before a look of dazed comprehension began to overshadow her face._

_"Wait... what?" she asked, her eyes were wider than normal but her voice remained steady and they wondered at how in control she was of her emotions. When Zeek and Camille looked at each other now, they grinned._

_"Maybe not," Camille finished and smiled wider at her daughter's shocked expression. "Sweetie... what would you say if we told you that we wanted to move out here?" she asked hopefully, a soft smile on her face. Lorelai stared at her, speechless (quite an accomplishment, really), for a moment before she shut her eyes and clenched her jaw, and Camille's expression faltered at the seeming rejection of their proposal. She quickly backtracked. "Of course, we have only known each other for a little while so we can understand if you..." she was cut off by Lorelai's sudden laugh._

_Lorelai opened her eyes, which were full of tears, and spoke. "Yes," she said softly and her mother's eyes lit up._

_Camille hesitated for only a second. "Yes?" she asked, wanting to be sure._

_"Yes. Yes, I would be **thrilled** if you would move out here. It would be amazing..." she said and blinked away the tears with difficulty as she suddenly embraced her parents... and became aware of the fact that everyone except for the kids had quieted and were now observing the scene._

_"So, you think you can handle having us around full-time?" Adam called out as he started walking over to her and Lorelai paused._

_"All of you?" she asked, a slow smile building on her face._

_Crosby laughed. "Well, I guess we could all come..." he trailed off teasingly._

_Lorelai rolled her eyes at her little brother before looking to her twin and raising an eyebrow. Sarah grinned and nodded. "Hey, we have to keep the family all in one place, don't we?" she asked softly and Lorelai looked around at everyone before she laughed once and nodded before reaching out and embracing Adam as he reached her. Once she let go, Lorelai began laughing again and called out to Rory, motioning for her to come over._

_"What?" Rory asked, starting to smile as she took in everyone's expressions._

_"I'm afraid I have some bad news," Lorelai said, composing herself._

_"What is it?" Rory asked. It couldn't be too bad. After all, she had heard her mother laughing a minute ago..._

_"Well, it looks like you're not gonna be an only child anymore..." she paused for dramatic effect before finishing, "because the rest of the family is moving here." Lorelai grinned when she was done._

_Rory's jaw literally dropped before she shut it and spoke. "Really?" she asked incredulously before grinning and jumping forward to pull her mom into a hug._

_Lorelai laughed as her daughter held onto her. "Really."_

_Rory let go and went over to hug her grandparents while her aunts and uncles, except for Sarah, laughed and came over to receive their own hugs._

_Lorelai stood back, smiling to herself as she watched her daughter hugging the rest of her family enthusiastically. She couldn't believe it. They weren't going to leave her; they were staying._

_"Hey," Sarah said softly, interrupting her twin's thoughts. "So, this is a good thing, right?" she asked, just to reassure herself in the face of her insecurity... and Lorelai laughed before turning to face her. Sarah almost gasped. Her sister's entire being seemed more alive than ever and her eyes almost seemed to glow with an ethereal light. She had never seen her this happy – not that she had known her all that long, but still... "What?" she questioned, feeling the need to know what had made her sister look that way._

_"This is a **great** thing," she emphasized and then hesitated before going onto explain. "It's just... throughout my life, a lot of people have left me in some way or another. Nobody ever really cared enough to stick around, and, besides that, I'm still getting used to the idea of having a family – a **real** family," she said and saw understanding in Sarah's eyes._

_Sarah thought for a moment before saying anything. It had never even occurred to her that her sister might be just as insecure as she was – Lorelai just hid it better than she did. Still, when she thought about it, she wasn't all that surprised. They had both gone in similar directions in their lives: they had both had their children when they were young (although Lorelai was younger when she had Rory than Sarah was when she had Amber), both the fathers of their children hadn't been there for them, and they were both rebellious and wild when they were young. And, most importantly, they had both been through a lot of hard things in their lives. So, no, she really wasn't surprised that her twin shared her insecurity. "Hey," she said softly. "We're not going anywhere," she promised and Lorelai nodded before they linked arms and turned back to watch the big family hug that was going on before glancing at each other and grinning. They both shrugged at each other at the same time – one of the small, twin-like moves that they had begun to subconsciously do – and smiled again before going forward to join in the celebratory hug. Because, as it turned out, it wasn't time to go – it was time to stay._

_**)( )( )( The End. )( )( )(**_

_**A/N: Okay, and there is chapter fourteen! Now, first things first – there will be a chapter fifteen but it's going to be more like an epilogue which is why I went ahead and put "The End". :) Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter! Like I said at the top I am still accepting answers to the question from the last chapter and here's the new one.**_

_**On Gilmore Girls and in real life, what does this acronym stand for: L.G**_

_**I'll give you a hint – they're names. Think both character and actress. :D Come on, you know you know it so put it in your review! :P**_


	15. Epilogue: Welcome Back to the Family

_Disclaimer: Nope, not mine..._

_A/N: Okay, this is it – the end of the story. Hope you like it!_

_**Epilogue: Welcome Back to the Family**_

_Lorelai laughed, looking next to her to see Sarah looking shocked at the gigantic surprise party that they had just come upon after being instructed by their family that they should go for a walk through town since it was such a nice night. It was their birthday and, while Lorelai had expected some kind of party to celebrate their birthday, even she hadn't expected this. But the music, the lights, and even the huge crowd of people weren't what put the party over the top. Nope – it was the giant pizza that was being lowered by a crane onto a table. Now, **this** was a party._

_Sarah turned to her sister. "They did all of this just for our birthday?" she asked, shock evident in both her tone and her expression._

_Lorelai nodded at her twin. "Yep. Come on, you've lived her for a while, now. Haven't you caught on yet?" she asked teasingly, while inside she still felt a rush of happiness at saying those words._

_Sarah gave a short laugh. "You mean have I figured out that everyone that lives her is insane?" she asked. "Yes, yes I have."_

_Lorelai chuckled at her sister. "You do know that that makes you insane since you live here, right?" she asked, her eyes daring Sarah to argue with her. Sarah, however, just rolled her eyes and submitted rather than try to argue with her sister's circular logic which tended to confuse anyone who she tried it on._

_"Yeah, yeah," Sarah muttered good-naturedly._

_The two of them linked arms, as was their habit, and went to find their family. They didn't have to search for long before they found them near the gigantic pizza. When their family saw them they all grinned and yelled, "Happy Birthday!" Behind them, the two sisters could see a banner with the words "Happy... Birthday, Twins!" They both laughed at the fact that someone had blacked out the numbers on the banner – most likely because it was the wrong number._

_"So," Camille asked, coming up and giving her twins a hug before releasing them both. "What do you think of your present?"_

_They glanced at each other and grinned. "I think we're gonna have a lot of leftover pizza," Sarah answered first and everyone laughed. "No, I love it, really. It's amazing," she said sincerely before turning to face her sister, who paused for a second before answering._

_"It is amazing," Lorelai agreed, glancing at Sarah, before turning to look at the rest of her family as her daughter came up and put an arm around her mother's other side, while Amber did the same thing with Sarah on her other side. "Thank you, all of you, but..." she trailed off before smiling brightly. "You already gave me the best gift I've ever gotten, apart from when I had Rory, when you showed up at the Inn that day. Because, that day, you gave me something that I'd never really had before – you gave me a family," she said softly and they all smiled back at her while Camille wiped her eyes to remove the tears that had gathered in them._

_"Oh, sweetheart. You, both of you along with your little and your bid sister," Zeek addressed all four of his girls, including Julia and Kristina in whatever he was about to say to the twins, "are my shining angels. We're a family, and nothing's ever gonna change that. To Lorelai and Sarah!" he said, raising his drink in the air as the rest of the family echoed his words._

_"To Lorelai and Sarah!" they all called, looking at the birthday girls affectionately before Lorelai called out, "I need pizza!" and they all laughed, having grown used to Lorelai and Rory's amazing metabolisms - well, as used to it as they could. Everyone laughed and went to tell Pete that the birthday girl was demanding that they cut the pizza._

_Sarah turned to her sister and smiled. "Hey," she said and Lorelai looked at her and raised an eyebrow slightly in a way that she knew meant 'yeah?'. "This is the first birthday that we've ever celebrated together," she said, smiling softly._

_Lorelai smiled in return. "Yeah... This is exactly how it's supposed to be. All of us in one place, together," she said and saw understanding and agreement in Sarah's eyes. "Happy Birthday to us," she finished and Sarah grinned. "Happy Birthday to us," she echoed, in full concurrence with that statement. Before, for both of them, something had always been missing before. They had always been searching for something that they just couldn't find. Sarah had known about Lorelai, although Lorelai hadn't even known that Sarah existed; she wasn't sure which was harder: knowing or not knowing. It didn't matter, now, though. They were together, and that was all that mattered._

_"Hey," Sarah said softly, waiting until Lorelai looked into her eyes to continue. "Welcome back to the family," she finished and they grinned at each other before continuing on to their family, their finally complete family._

_**)( )( )( The End. )( )( )(**_

_**A/N: Yep, this is really the end. :( But, if you're readers of the House of Night series of books (and if you don't, then you really should check it out), then I'll be starting a story in that category, so check it out! :D I hope you enjoyed reading the story! I expect reviews on this chapter – it is the last one after all! Please and thank you! :) I'll continue accepting answers to the questions from the last two chapters until Saturday the 13****th****. :) Thanks for reading.**_

_**- L. Night**_


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